


Meeting Yondaime

by narutofanninja2



Category: Naruto
Genre: F/F
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-12-11
Updated: 2017-12-12
Packaged: 2018-09-08 00:17:46
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 30
Words: 40,913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/8822071
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/narutofanninja2/pseuds/narutofanninja2
Summary: Young Naruto runs into the woods to escape the villagers of the hidden leaf. As he runs, he meets the Yondaime Hokage of konohagakure, Namikaze Minato. Who just in fact, is his father. When does Naruto find out? Chapters 1-18 i do not fully own as this story is based off "Meeting Naruto" by Kellerbo.  However, i do add my own details.





	1. A Strange man

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Meeting Naruto](https://archiveofourown.org/external_works/247144) by Kellerbo. 



"words": speaking

words: thinking

"words": god/demon speaking/ thinking ( NO DIFFERENCE)

Uzumaki Naruto. The five your old runs out of the gates of the village hidden in leaves, also known as The Hidden Leaf, into the wilderness of Konohagakure. Naruto had been running from the villagers, as well as ninja who have always beaten him and cursed him. Although Naruto was young, and not able to understand why he was treated the way he was, he knew he was a container for something evil. Everyday Naruto faces his day scared and alone. His only friend was old man third hokage. Yet even that wasn't satisfying enough, for the young boy's dreams of being a hokage one day, mostly because he thought it would never, ever, happen. He thought that he might as well not go back anyway. It's not like the villagers cared for him, so why should he care?

Naruto continued to run until he had no more energy in his physical body. Naruto began to cry, punching the ground as hard as he could as he fell on his knees. After a half hour of punching the ground, Naruto sat on the roots of a tree and rested, crying himself to sleep, unaware that someone was watching from above.

Naruto continued punching once he had woken, but now he was punching the tree. Blood leaked out of his knuckles. "Why do i even bother. No one cares for me anyway," muttered Naruto. 

The ninja watching from above couldn't stand still any longer, he began to worry about the boy and jumped down from his hidden spot in the tree."You'll get a infection if you continue to punch that tree and hurt yourself" the shinobi said, blinking at Naruto. Naruto froze at the sound of the voice and slowly turned his head. The man he stared at had blond hair, blue eyes, and was roughly six feet tall. Naruto realized that the man may have meant to hurt him and began to run, even though he knew it was probably useless. The man has flashed right in front of Naruto and grabbed his wrists as he squatted down to Naruto's height.

"Hey kid, I won't hurt you, I promise", said the man in a kind voice. "My name is Minato, Namikaze Minato but please don't tell anyone that."  
"You promise?" Naruto responded, still unsure what to believe. For the first time... someone's being.... nice? Naruto thought.  
"Yea kid, I promise, and if I do, you can take my kunai and stab me with it."  
"Naruto surprised by the statement gave Minato a hug.  
"Hey, how old are you?"  
"Six years, three months, twenty days" Naruto responded confused as he looked up at the man he was hugging. Minato smiled and quickly did the math.  
"Your birthday is October tenth?" Naruto nodded slowly.  
"Where do you live kid?"  
"Konohagakure."  
"Alright kid, how about this, I heal your wound, then I take you home." Naruto gave Minato a depressed look but didn't argue and held out his hands. Minato stared at Naruto's hands for a few long minutes observing the boy's abnormally fast healing rate. "It looks fine, let's take you home before someone starts to worry about you."  
"We don't need to hurry, they won't come looking for me as long as I'm home by dusk." Naruto responded.  
"Your parents know you're out here?" Minato sounding surprised, considering that most of the animals in the forest could kill a young boy out here by himself.  
"I don't have any parents..."  
"Then who are "they", that you just mentioned?"  
"The ANBU shinobi"  
"There are ANBU care shinobi now?"  
"I live look after myself, The only people come to visit me are old man hokage and the ANBU to check on me for monthly supplies and money to live." responded Naruto as he climbed onto Minato's shoulders.  
"What!" Minato said almost shouting.  
-Later-  
Naruto climbed down off Minato's shoulders depressed, then began running into the Hidden Leaf Village.

"Bye kid." Minato said as he slowly walked back into the forest, But before he was completely surrounded by the dark forest his curiosity got the better of him. "Hey kid! What's your name?"

"Uzumaki Naruto! Remember it old man!"

"Oi! I'm not old!" Minato yelled back before processing what he had just heard. Naruto? His Naruto? He was so close to his son and didn't even realize it until now. no. No. NO. NOO! Minato you baka. If only his wife Kushina was here, she'd know what to do. Minato was tempted to run back to the village but he resisted the temptation and headed off, knowing it would probably only hurt Naruto in the long run. After all, he was supposed to be dead, he was the Yondaime, fourth hokage, as well as the Yellow flash of the leaf, of which who has had many enemies.


	2. The visit

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato comes to visit Naruto.

Minato had been waiting to come see his son once more for his seventh birthday. After all, it would be the second time Minato would see his son since the Kyuubi attacked. Minato was wearing a black cloak and a hat. Even though if it probably would be better the use a henge transformation justu before he reached the gates.

"I wonder how he's doing," muttered Minato under his breath.

"Halt!" Ordered a shinobi guard as Minato entered the gates to the hidden leaf. "Password, why are you here?"

"I know not the password," lied Minato. "But I have a mission request for your hokage."

"Missions you say... very well follow me" ordered the guard once more. Minato realized that he would have to make up a C rank mission or higher just to stay undetected. Minato quickly formed the henge hand seals and POOF he was a twenty year old man, with brown hair and green eyes, and still had his cloak and hat on. He'd copy the look from a young shinobi in the land of wind, not that Minato was old, he was only 26. When they'd finally reached the hokage's office the guard knocked.

"Come in," said a voice from inside. They entered to see a silver haired ANBU kneeling before the hokage with a dog mask on and gear much like... Kakashi?

"Yes sir!" said the ANBU whom Minato suspected to be his former student Kakashi Hatake, before he vanished.

"This man wants to request a mission, sir." said the guard kneeling before the hokage.

"What is this mission then? But first, please take off your hat and cloak please, sir." ordered the third hokage, Sarutobi. Minato did as ordered and reviled his henge look. "Now then, what is your mission request?"

"My village is being ruined by gangs and murders, I wish for you to send some ninja and rid of them so that my village may go back to being a peaceful village," lied Minato. I'm in for it now once they figure out it was a lie... thought Minato wearily.

"Done, we will send some genin home with you tomorrow, please take rest here in one of the hotels," requested the hokage. "For free." Minato nodded and walked out the door and headed for his son.

"Kuchiyose no justu," said Minato, waving the hand signs then pushing his hand on the ground for the seal. Suddenly enough, a few small toads appeared. Minato showed them the picture he sketched of his son, then explained the toads about Naruto's hair color and eyes. "Find him." Sure enough, a few minutes later a toad came back and told Minato of his son's location. "Thanks," Minato said as he released the toads and walked towards his son's house.

Minato walked to the door that Minato had been informed about by his toads and knocked. Then realized it was the same apartment he himself had lived in before the Kyuubi attacked and Minato supposedly died.

Naruto, alerted by the knock, walked towards the locked door and looked through the hole in the door. He unlocked the door and opened it. "What do you want?" said Naruto bitterly. "Come to hurt me?" said Naruto closing the door.

"No I just came to visit."  
"I'm not allowed to have visitors."

Feeling foolish Minato waved the hand seals for releasing the henge appearance and quickly grabbed the door handle and opened the door before Naruto completely closed, and locked it.

"Hey kid it's me!" Minato said, smiling. Naruto's face lit with delight and let Minato in.

"You're here!" squealed Naruto excitedly. Minato laughed.

"I brought you a present, Naruto."

"You did? And why are you here?" asked Naruto as Minato pulled out the little wrapped gift.

"Well, I remembered your birthday so, I decided I should stop by and visit. I had nothing better to do anyway," Minato said smiling. The second half was a lie though, he did have some stuff to do but it could wait one day. "Anyway, here's your gift." Naruto ripped the wrapping paper on the gift and opened the box. "Happy Birthday, s-Naruto."Naruto beamed in joy, and gave Minato a hug, crying. Minato had almost said son, which would probably bring up some suspicion in Naruto. "Why are you crying? Has no one given you a gift before?"

"Old man come and gives me games to play with me when he visits, but other than that no. Plus it gets boring cause he rarely visits anyway. I like yours the best. What is it?"

"It's a kunai, one that I can teleport to. If I ever hear of danger in Konoha, I will come." Naruto smiled, when suddenly someone knocked on the door and came in without waiting for a response.

"Naruto?" the man asked. "Were you just talking to someone?"

"No, I wasn't Old man."

"Alright, I just thought I heard someone I used to know... I'll continue my walk now."

"You can come down now, Minato," said Naruto to the man standing upside-down one the ceiling.

"Phew that was close," Minato said jumping down. "What do you want to do now? How about the celebrations?"

"I.. I don't like..."Naruto paused. "I don't like going out on my birthday..."

"Oh... well that's ok." Minato started looking though his son's house. Didn't like going out on his birthday? Did the village dishonor my last wish? For my sun to be a hero? Minato sighed "How about we play some board games then?"

"Sure!"

-Hours later-

"Kid, I'm sorry but I have to leave now."

"Already..." said a depressed Naruto. "Will you be back next year?"

"Sure," Minato lied. If I come back, things will only get worse... sorry Naruto. And with that Minato vanished from the house to a kunai in the land if wind.


	3. Discovery

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato visits Naruto again

Minato swore he wouldn't come back to see his son, but there was just something drawing him in. Minato didn't know what it was. Was it the fact that his son was so adorable around him? What was it? Minato watched as a group of Konoha Shinobi walked out the gates of the Hidden Leaf. He waited until one of his former students, disappeared with his own students: Neji, Rock Lee, and Tenten. After they disappeared from sight, Minato made three shadow clones, then henged them. Three walked towards the gates while Minato henged himself to look like Rock lee, and ran back into the village.

"Back so soon, Lee?" asked the Guards at the gates. Minato didn't answer.

"He forgot his equipment sack," Explained the henged Neji.

Minato ran towards his son's home, made a shadow clone and had it run back to the gates henged as Lee. Afterwards the three shadow clones released themselves after disappearing from sight. Minato knocked on his son's door. No one answered. He knocked again. Still no answer. "Naruto? you there?" Still no answer. Minato sighed and was about to open the door when he realized it would be better to just teleport in. After all, his son did have one of his special kunai. Minato teleported in to see his son sleeping soundly. Minato chuckled to himself and sat next to Naruto on the bed. "Naruto," Minato said shaking his son awake.

Naruto slowly opened his eyes and to his surprise of Minato being there he almost screamed. Seeing this Minato cupped his hand over Naruto's mouth.

"What are you doing here?" asked Naruto as he calmed down realizing that the person before him was non other then Minato Namikaze, his friend.

"It's your birthday silly, remember?"

"Oh..." Naruto said dully, but quickly changed to a smile as he remembered Minato was there. "I'm in the ninja academy now."

"Oh, well that's good to hear. Naruto why not go outside?"  
"Haven't i already told you? I don't like going out on my birthday..."

"Why not?" Minato said firmly.

"I just don't OK!"

Minato hurt by his son's reaction he looked at the floor. Something was up, just like last year.

" I'm sorry, you're right," said Minato in a sad tone. "Anyway, I have your gift," Minato's voice changing from depressed to happy. Naruto's eye's brightened and Minato gave him the wrapped gift.

"Scrolls?" Naruto said as he finished tearing away the wrapping paper.

"Not just any scrolls, Justu scrolls."

"Ooo. What type?"

"One of each, Ninjustu, Genjustu, and Taijustu. Ninjustu has some of justu that i use, and some of the forth hokage, and all my sensei's etc. Taijustu has some of the best taijustu user's techniques, and Genjustu has Uchiha and other clan's Genjustu. If you ever find my student Hatake Kakashi, he has a mask on i would like you to say hi to him and say that i say hi."

Naruto was staring at the scrolls, smiling brightly. "OK!"

"One more thing, you must never use these justus where someone can see them."

"Yes sir," Naruto's eyes fixed on the scrolls in his hands. Minato sensed someone outside the door.

Third hokage

"- Never use these justu where someone can see them."

Sarutobi stopped outside of Naruto's apartment door and looked at it

That voice...

Without knocking Sarutobi opened the door to see Naruto sitting on the bed with three scrolls in his hands, staring at him, open wind, and a yellow blur.

"He's back..." Sarutobi said, words escaping his thoughts and through his mouth.

"Old man... what are you talking about?"

"Pardon Naruto, just wanted to check on how you were doing."

"Didn't have to slam open my door for that you could have just knocked."

"Again, Naruto, pardon my unpolite behavior."

"Hai!"

"Naruto," Third Hokage said grabbing a pen, paper and a envelope." Give this to the man you just say at this exact time," Sarutobi said writing a not the the Yondaime. Sticking it in the in the envelope, writing the time and date of when to open it. "- there is a self destruct bomb on this paper that will destroy this note if it is opened before this time, understand?"

"Hai!"

Minato/Naruto(before Sarutobi comes in)

"Naruto i have to go."

"So soon..." Naruto Whined.

"I'm sorry but i can't be seen here. I'll see you next year."

"What if i'm on a spectacularly, awesome mission and i'm with my comrades?"

"Then i'll either teleport to you, taking the risk... Or i'll come and find you."

"You promise?"

"Yea, I promise kid. I'll see you later," Minato said tickling Naruto. Withing a split second, Minato was gone and Old man Hokage walked in.

"That voice..."


	4. reunions

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto meets his team when Minato strolls along

"... Team seven, Sakura Haruno, Naruto Uzumaki, and Sasuke Uchiha."

"Why do i have to be stuck with this bastard!?"  
"Naruto, the teams are paired by grades in the academy. Sasuke is the lead, Naruto, your the dead last!"

Naruto pouted staring at Iruka Sensei.

"You're all free until three fifth-teen."

Naruto got up and walked out, hands in his pockets, staring at the ground. Naruto went home, made himself some ramen and ate is vigorously. When he got up and thew his cup in the trash before he lay on the bed, the something catching his eye. His birthday was tomorrow. The note Old man Hokage wrote was pinned to the calendar. Ugh i want to open it so badly. Naruto frowned and dozed off, after setting his alarm for three o'clock.

Beep... Beep...Beep...

"Wake up kid!"  
"Shut up kyuubi!"

Naruto got up, fixed his hair the best he could, since it was always messy, and left to meet his team and Sensei. Naruto arrived seeing that Sasuke and Sakura were already there.

"He's not here yet?"

"Nope, dobe."

"Shut up Sasuke!"

"Yeah yeah."

"Will you two stop bickering for once in your life?" Yelled Sakura, pulling her hair.

"Sorry Sakura..." Their mouths moving in unison.

"Yeesh if Sensei is gonna be this late, might as well put a prank up for a punishment," Naruto said grabbing a chalkboard eraser and a chair. He got on the chair and opened the door a little, put the eraser in and closed the door so the eraser would stay.

"Dobe, no ninja would fall for tha..." A jonin walked in, eraser landing on his head, dusting his hair in chalk.

"A prank for a first impression eh? I hate you already," said the silver haired jonin.

"What!?" team seven yelling all at once.

"mn... Well might as well get this over with, tell me about yourselves," said the jonin.

"Why not you first? You're the sensei," Naruto said, cocking his head to the side.

"*sigh*alright, I'm Kakashi Hatake, and i don't feel like telling you anything else other then that i'm going to be your sensei, that is if you pass my test."

Kakashi? Minato's student? "If you ever meet my student, please tell him i'm alive..."  
"Uh Kakashi sensei?"

"Mn?"  
"Uh... I would like to inform you that your sensei is alive and well."  
Kakashi raised his one visible eyebrow, his eyes full of anger.

"How dare you... How dare you insult my sensei... What do you know about him hmm? I hate you most of all," Kakashi said pointing his finger at Naruto. Naruto held his hands up.

"I didn't mean to offend you... You're sensei just told me to..."

"Shut... Up..."  
"Nice going dobe, you pissed of the sensei even more."

Naruto glared at Sasuke.

"Will all of you stop bickering already? i'm done with this!" screamed Sakura. Kakashi, Naruto and Sasuke covered their ears.

"Mn... Well, lets continue... You're last, liar."

"I'm Uchiha Sasuke, sole survivor of the Uchiha. I don't have many likes, and lots of dislikes, hobby, training to become stronger... To kill one man."

There was silence.

"I'm Haruno Sakura, i like sweets and... who i like... I mean what i like... EEEK!" Sakura said glaring at Sasuke.

"Dislikes hobby?"  
"Reading and... I don't like HIM!" Sakura pointed at Naruto, and turned her head away and frowned with her eyes closed.

"I'm Uzumaki Naruto, i like ramen, dislike Sasuke and the three minutes it takes to cook instant ramen, love training and someday i'll be the Hokage!"

"Hmm may i add lying to that list?" Kakashi said to Naruto.

"It wasn't a lie!"

"Mhmm. Meet back at the bridge to the training grounds tomorrow at 6 am. Oh and don't eat breakfast, you'll vomit."

Naruto,Sasuke, and Sakura just stared, wide eyed.

Naruto sighed. Sorry Minato... Not this year...

Minato

The next day, Minato walked his the gates, henged once again hiding his identity, each one testing the best way to get in and out of the Leaf Village. The guards nodded in approve, Minato henged as a 25 year old brown haired carpenter. He walked to his sons house and knocked, No response again. Minato walked in, after realizing the door wasn't locked, and looked around. Naruto wasn't home. Minato looked in the Kitchen table and saw a note.

Dear M,

Not home, mission with Kakashi sensei..

Kakashi is my son's sensei? Minato smiles

See you next year... read the letter on the table.

Next year? that won't do... Minato sighed and looked at the letter

TO: Minato

FROM: Sarutobi

OPEN AT: 1:35 pm

Minato looked wearily at the letter and opened it.

"I saw you," it read. "You need to tell your son the truth, what happened that night, i know you're alive but i won't say anything not yet.

goodbye old friend,

Sarutobi."

Minato eyes widened and sighed. Now to find Naruto. If his son's sensei was Kakashi, then he might as well just teleport, and so he did. Finding himself in the bushes on the ground next to his son looking at his student, then at him. Minato smiled.

"Hi Minato, uh now's not the best time. I have to get that bell so i won't be sent back to the academy."

"The bell test huh?" Minato laughed. "You don't need to get a bell, you just have to see through Kakashi's trick. The answer is teamwork.

"Really?"

"Yep. i'll disappear for a minute so you can tell your friends. Pour your Chakra into the seal on my Kunai to let me know you're done, OK?"

Naruto

"Alright," said Naruto smiling. And with that Minato disappeared.

Naruto looked for Sasuke for a little while, then finally found him.

"Hey Sasuke. I know the answer."

"Yea right Dobe."

"No really i do, its teamwork."

Sasuke started laughing. "Do you really think i'm gonna listen to you dobe? You're even stupider then i thought!" Sasuke immediately drew a kunai.

"Sasuke, what the heck?" Naruto backed up a few steps before drawing the one Minato gave him. It was his favorite Kunai to use.

"You're not Naruto." Sasuke ran towards Naruto, Kunai extended towards him. "You're Kakashi!"

Naruto was dumbfounded. Sasuke thought he was Kakashi? "Teme, I'm not Kakashi-sensei!"

Sasuke threw a few shuriken at Naruto and continued to charge. In the meantime, Naruto created a few Kage bushin to block the shuriken as he ran into the trees to come around behind. "Not so fast, dobe,'' Sasuke mused as he spun around, meeting Naruto's pronged Kunai to his. Both Sasuke and Naruto jumped backwards before kidding to a halt.

"Sasuke, what the hell!" Sasuke charged at Naruto again, kunai meeting Naruto's pronged kunai. Sparks flying from the two metal Kunai scraping against each other.

Sasuke swung his leg up towards Naruto's head, using his hand for support. Naruto bent backwards out of the way before kicking Sasuke's hand, making him loose balance. "Ugh." Sasuke stood up, dusting himself off, looking at Naruto. "Prove it dobe."

"Prove what?" Naruto dodged another kunai that Sasuke aimed at him.

"That you're not Kakashi."  
"Yeah, you wont believe me unless i do what you tell me. So what do you want me to do, Sasuke-teme?"  
Sasuke bit his lip thinking. "Shadow clone justu... no Kakashi can probably do that..." Sasuke paused in thought before looking at Naruto. "The henge justu you created."  
Naruto burst out laughing, rolling on the grass. "You're gonna*giggles*get it Sasuke-*more giggle fits*Teme!" Naruto stood up, then fell back to the round in more fits of giggles and laughter. Finally he managed to stop and get up. Making a cross signed seal, Naruto shouted "Kage bushin no justu!" Ten clones appeared.

"H-hey i thought i said the other justu!"  
"Oh you did now, Sasuke-teme?" Naruto and his clones created another cross seal. "Henge!" One by one, all the Naruto's were covered in a cloud of white smoke. When it blew away, it revealed eleven naked women, whisker marks on each cheeks, and long blonde hair in pigtails. Sasuke blushed furiously as he turned his face away from Naruto and his clones.

A second later the Narukos lunged at Sasuke, latching their arms around him. "G-get off me!"  
"Sasuke...-kun..." The women said in a squeaky feminine voice.

Sasuke punched each of the women, causing them to disperse.

Naruto was on the ground, looking at Sasuke. "Oi, it's not nice to hit girls, Sasuke-teme."  
Sasuke smirked. "You're not a girl. Unless you're faking that you're a guy, Naruto."

Naruto rolled his eyes before sitting up. "So you believe me now?"

Sasuke sighed. He didn't believe Naruto in the slightest, but he thought he might as well use it to lure out Kakashi. "Teamwork eh?"

"Yeah, now lets go find Sakura."

"Fine, Dobe."

There was a sudden scream. Sasuke and Naruto looked at each other and ran to find Sakura on the ground staring at a tree.

"Sasuke! Don't die!"

"Genjustu... I'm guessing," said the Uchiha.

"Probably."

"Release!"

Sakura looked up to see Naruto and Sasuke.

"You OK?" asked Naruto.

"Yea."  
"The answer to this is teamwork," said Sasuke, glaring at Naruto. " I can only guess how Dead last here figured it out."

"Teamwork? Interesting. Good job on figuring out, Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto gaped. "Eh?!"

"Come out, Kakashi!" Yelled Sasuke.

Just as soon as Sasuke summoned him, Kakashi was in front of team seven.

"The answer is teamwork," the three said in unison.

"Is that your final answer?"

"Hai!"

"You one hundred. Percent. Sure? If you fail you go back to the academy. Remember that."

"Hai, Kakashi-sensei."

Kakashi eye-smiled before nodded. "Go eat lunch."

"Yes Kakashi Sensei!" they said running off the the monument. Naruto sat down and pulled out Minato's Kunai, which Sakura instantly recognized.

"That's... That's..."

"Whats that Naruto," Kakashi said walking up, eyes widening as he got a closer look at the Kunai. "Where... Where did you get that?"

"It was a gift from a friend, your sensei."

"Liar, that's min..." Kakashi never finished because once he pulled out his own that Minato had given him.

How is this possible? Thought Kakashi.

"I told you," said Naruto, wrapping his chakra covered hands over the seal on the Kunai. Instantly Minato appeared, all eyes went on him.

Kakashi

"Minato Sensei?! You're supposed to be dead!"

"Indeed. I am supposedly dead, but as you see, i'm not, Kakashi."

"You're..." Sakura fainted.

"Whats with her?" Sasuke glaring.

"Kakashi, may i speak with you?"

"Sure sensei." The two walked towards the tree in the middle of the training field.

"You must not tell my son who i am."

"Your son?"

"Naruto." Kakashi's eyes widened.

"I'm such a fool..." Minato laughed.

Naruto

The two men were walking back, Minato pulling out a few scrolls and a small box.

"Happy birthday, Naruto," said Minato, handing Naruto more scrolls and the box. "You now have my permission to use these justu in front of your new friends here, but only them, understand?"

"Hai," said Minato tearing away the paper on the box.

" Don't open that until you get home, Naruto."

"Hai." It must be something sweet if he doesn't want Sensei, Sakura, and Sasuke to see it.

" Minato sensei, did you get them the answer?" asked the ever curious Kakashi and he tilted his head.

"No..."

"Liar."

"Perhaps but they still believed it and worked together."

"True..."

"Well i must go, i have bushiness to attend to," and with that Minato disappeared.

Why does he always do that... Well, see you next year Minato, though Naruto as he walked home, ready to face another day.


	5. Time with family

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato watches Naruto's team train

*word*=actions

Minato

Minato walked into the Hidden leaf as he always did, henged, and then continued the rest of his journey to his son's house.

*Knocks*

Half a second later, Naruto opened the door with his genuine smile.

"Hey Minato-san, i have training with Kakashi Sensei. Would you like to come and watch?"

"Of course i would!" Minato smiles at his son.

Minato and his son walked through the streets of Konoha, henged of course. There were people everywhere, at the shops, restaurants, etc. For once he was glad that he was considered dead. He never liked being swarmed with all the citizens on the way home. He liked the villagers but, some times it was just too overbearing. When they had reached the normal team-gathering bridge, there was something unusual. Not only was team Kakashi there, but team Asuma. Kakashi was late as usual.

"Hey Naruto, who's your friend?" asked Shikamaru

Naruto looked at Minato giving him a "Should-we-tell-them" face. Minato shook his head.

"Ino, Choji, Shikamaru, Asuma sensei, this is Shinobu. Sasuke, Sakura, and Kakashi Sensei meet him a year ago today."

Minato frowned at the name. Looks like that's my henge's name now.

"i met who a year a..." Kakashi was cut off.

"You're late!"

"Hai hai... sorry, i came across a drowning sea turtle on my way here. heh... heh." Kakashi said as he squatted on the top of the bridge.

"THAT'S A LIE!"

Minato frowned at his former student. He seemed to have turned into Obito Uchiha, another one of Minato's former students.

"Yes yes... By the way... Who have i met again?"

Naruto responded alone this time. "Shinobu. Remember a year ago from today?"  
Kakashi nodded realizing that Shinobu, was a name for his sensei's henged form.

"Wait... a year ago to day was..."  
"October tenth."  
"Ah, now i remember. Naruto, Happy birthday." Team ten looked at Naruto. He scratched his head sheepishly.

"Kakashi-san, would you mind if i watched you guys train? Asuma?"

"Go ahead," responded Asuma smiling.

"Thanks."

With that they started walking to the training grounds. Minato handed Naruto a pair of scrolls. Naruto smiled sheepishly once more. Once they had reached the training grounds, Sakura and Ino started sparing, Choji and Shikamaru practiced their justus, and Naruto and Sasuke practiced tree climbing. Minato frowned when he saw his son fall multiple times. Minato Knew that his son could do it. He just wondered why Naruto didn't do what he COULD do. Minato sighed.

"Naruto, if you climb that tree before Sasuke, i'll buy you ramen!" Minato shouted, hoping that would inspire his son. It didn't work for long. Naruto climbed up the tree way ahead of Sasuke, but released right before he got to a branch, leaving Sasuke in awe and anger. Minato sighed once more, continuing to watch.

"Naruto i'm heading home, see you next year!"

Naruto looked at Minato and frowned. "Already?"

"Yea sorry..."

Although leaving was not Minato intention. He knew Naruto's training would end soon, Minato wanted to find out why his son never came out of his house unless there was training, and so he hid.

When Naruto had left training after saying goodbye to Sasuke, Sakura, Kakashi, and Team Ten, he headed for town with a large grin. Minato followed carefully, hoping Naruto wouldn't notice he was following. By the time Naruto entered town, his face changed from his genuine smile, to a depressing face towards the ground, walking slowly. Villagers stared at Naruto with hatred, and threw trash at him, along with rotting food. Naruto didn't bother to dodge.

"Look its the demon boy." Minato heard this and was horrified. Then he heard more.

"Monster..."

"Evil fox!"

"Demon..."

"The Forth Hokage should have never saved you..."

Minato nearly cried. His son was being treated as a monster, a plague. Not his last wish, for his son to be a hero. Minato should have known this would happen, Naruto being treated the same way as any other jinchuriki.

What... have... i... done...

Minato knew he would now have to face his son, guilty of what he had done ten years ago.

Naruto

Naruto realized Minato was following him, and never went home after he had reached the village.

He's gonna leave me... Naruto realized, and pain in his chest appeared. He didn't want to be lonely anymore, but that was his fate. Naruto opened the door to his house, slammed it, ran to his room, jumped on the bed, and began to cry.

"Naruto... why are you crying?" The familiar voice came out of nowhere.

"Go away!"  
"No. Why are you crying?" Minato sat next to Naruto, wrinkling his face at the smell of rotting food.

"You know! You know what i am, you followed me! I'm a demon... A monster..."

"Naruto, i know about the Kyuubi, And you're not a monster, nor a demon."

Naruto slowly calmed down from crying. "How long have you known?"

Minato gave thought if he should tell Naruto the truth or not.

"Since you told me your name when you were six years old."

Naruto's eyes widened. "How did you know?"

"Well... A many years ago, before you were born, i fell in love with a woman. Her name, Uzumaki Kushina." Naruto's eyes grew wider at the sound of his last name. " Yes Naruto, she was a relative of your's. I married her, while her cousin gave birth to you. The Uzumaki clan was a clan that scattered across the five great nations, as well as smaller nations due to fear. You see, Shinobi feared your clan for their sealing justus. It was their specialty. Much like the Uchiha clan and their fire ability, as well as their sharingan." Minato paused to see if his son will still listening. "Because there were plenty of Uzumaki Shinobi in Konoha, they were chosen to be the Kyuubi's holders, not just because of how many Uzumaki there were, but because of their sealing justu and a special chakra that can control the Kyuubi. Your mother, was the wife of the Yondaime... When a female jinchuriki gives birth, this is the time the seal is weakest. A man knew this and drew the Kyuubi out of your mother, then used the nine tails to attack the village."

"My bother was the Kyuubi's jinchuriki before me?"

Minato nodded.

"The Yondaime knew that he had to seal the Kyuubi into someone, but no parent would give up their child, and its harder to seal tailed beasts into adults, and so, he chose you because he believed you could control it's power. Your father fought the kyuubi with his wife, both got struck by one of the Kyuubi's claws. That;s when he sealed it into you, as well as both your mother's chakra, and your father's. After that, they both died, as well as many other Shinobi who helped fight, including my wife."

"You're related to me?"

"Yes Naruto, and it's the truth."Well kind of. "Naruto, do you mind if i live with you for a while?"

Naruto stood there, frozen. First i learn that i have a relative, and now he wants to live with me... This is the best day ever!

"YES!" Naruto said punching his hand into the air. "Yes, please stay."


	6. memories

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato thinks about why he's staying with Naruto.

-Half year before-

Minato walked up to a cottage in this middle of the dark forest, for from humanity. He was looking for a man named Toshi. Known for his knowledge of demons, Minato decided to look for him in effort to save his son. When a hut became visible, he knocked.

"Who enters?" came a voice from inside.

"Namikaze Minato."

"Ah, a dangerous man indeed," said the man as he opened the door.

"Only when threatened," Minato said smiling.

"Of course, Yondaime Hokage."

"You are Toshi?"  
"I am. Come in," said Toshi. He had dark brown hair and had obsidian colored eyes.

"I wish to ask you about a demon family," replied Minato as he entered and took a seat in the dim room.

"Of which family? Tailed beasts, Or demons of superior?"

"Both you could say," Minato responded looking at the books on the shelf. The shelves seemed to be built into the wall, hence saving room for more furniture and equipment.

"Ah... The boy is whom you worry for, your son i believe." Minato's eyes grew wide. "Am i incorrect? Do you seek a demon to show your greatness?"

"No, no not at all. But how did you know about Naruto?"

"He's a Jinchuriki, vessel of the Kyuubi no Kitsune. Of course i know about your son, Yellow Flash."

Minato nodded in response to this. " I wish to know of the Kitsune family."

"Ah, the superior demon family." Minato nodded. "As you may or may not know, Kyuubi is considered one of these demons, even though he was born of the divine tree, ten tails, along with the other tailed beasts. The head Demon grew jealous of Kurama, for one particular reason. Kurama became stronger then Rokai."

"Rokai met someone more capable then him himself? Amazing..."

"Yes, but this creates a problem of which you know. Rokai plans to kill Kurama when he finds his new vessal. Kurama, knows this, and if his Jinchuriki dies, he dies, in which makes the prophecy a myth."

"Prophecy?"  
"Yes... The sage of six paths has a prophecy of where one say, he will have a reincarnation, and that reincarnation will be the vessel of the nine tails. If Nine tails dies, peace can not happen. The problem on to stopping Rokai, is what will be the problem. Kitsune Demons are pure evil, and pure chakra. They can walk through walls, and take possession of humans, animals, even carnivorous plants."

Minato's eyes clouded with worry. "How do you stop such a creature?"

"Rokai can be far from your son, or very close to your son. You don't know. He will hide until he has his plan. Rokai's sibling demon, Raika was known for being fast, but was killed in the Demon wars with Kaguya, mother of the sage of six paths. Rokai, however is even more dangerous. He is cunning. Kurama killed Raika after siding with Kaguya, and soon surpassed Rokai. Kurama was able to turn into a mortal being, and didn't have to use a vessel. However, when Uzumaki's started becoming Jinchuriki's it was impossible for him to escape on his on."

Minato nodded looking at Toshi as he poured chakra into a crystal ball. The kyuubi began to appear on the ball, as well as a masked man.

"This is the night i sealed Kurama into Naruto..."

"That it is. If you wish to keep you son safe, you must go to him."

Minato nodded to Toshi. "Thank you," responded Minato as he got up to leave.

"Wait Baka." Minato froze and turned around. "Take this. The scroll will tell you of any demon you want to know about and will answer you questions. Just think your question, and words will appear on the scroll. Once you close the scroll or think a new question, the words will disappear."

Minato nodded and walked out the hut towards the Village of Hidden leaves.

Naruto

\- Present day-

"Minato-sama, what's this?"


	7. Chunin exams part 1

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Chunin exam forms are handed out.

Naruto

"Minato-sama, what's this?"

Minato looked up from this kitchen sink and looked at what Naruto was holding. " Ah, that would be a scroll that has non of your concern Naruto. However, since you asked, its a scroll on demons."

Naruto looked at Minato, troubled. "Minato, you're like a dad to me, but am i a demon?"

"Naruto, don't ever say that. Just because your father sealed the Kyuubi inside of you, does not mean you're a monster. You're the son of the Forth Hokage." This seemed to cheer up Naruto.

"Oh, Minato-sama, guess what?"

"Hmm, what? beat Sasuke in a spar?"

"No, better. Chunin Exams!"

"Chunin exams? Well that means you need to learn a sealing Justu," said Minato pulling out a summoning scroll. Naruto's eyes widened.

"I get to learn some of my clan's specialty? This is great!" Minato started laughing, but then his faced turned serious. "Minato-sama? what's wrong?"

"On one condition i will teach you sealing justus. Take of your 'mask'"

"What!? i can't do that... if i do the villagers will see me as a threat..."

"No. Once they see the real you, they will soon begin to treat you better, as well as respect you. Don't you want to become Hokage?" said Minato as he turned around a chair and sat in it, armed folded on the top of the back.

"You promise?"

"Yea. I promise, kid. Don't ever forget that you can trust me," said Minato smiling. Naruto nodded and held out his hand.

"Deal," said Naruto. Minato nodded and took Naruto's hand, and shook it.

"Alright, Naruto, Sasuke, you can spar, i will spar Sakura," said Kakashi putting his book back in his weapon pouch. "Minato-sensei, please over look their sparing."

"Alright Kakashi," said Minato as he sat on top of a tree branch.

"Hey dobe, when did your friend start coming to all your practices?"  
"Why does that matter? We're supposed to be sparring, remember teme?"

"Whatever."

"AAAAAHHHHH!" shouted Naruto as he dashed towards Naruto. Minato sighed.

"Hey Naruto, beat Sasuke, you get ramen." shouted Minato as his son dashed at Sasuke. Naruto instantly disappeared next to Minato and created a clone. The clone nodded and went into hiding. Then Naruto jumped over Sasuke, pointing a Kunai at him. "Got ya!"  
"Not so fast, dobe." said Sasuke as he destroyed the clone. "Whaaa-" Naruto slide on the ground and kicked Sasuke into the air. Then he summoned his clone, and dispersed it. Instantly, orange rings formed around Naruto's eyes. His usual silly expression was gone, and was replaced with a serious one...

"How are you so different?!" shouted Sasuke in surprise. Kakashi and Sakura stopped sparing and looked over to see Sasuke being beat to pulp, Naruto winning. Kakashi felt as if he missed something. Was this just a misunderstanding? Or is this the actual Naruto and I've been blind? Kakashi pondered this until he became confused and gave up.

"Oi Naruto, you win," said Kakashi. Naruto froze as he looked up at his sensei mid-punch.

"But i was just about to get to the good part..." Naruto frowned at let Sasuke up. Minato jumped down and Sakura "eeked" as she saw the man.

"Good afternoon Hokage-" Sakura was cut off as Kakashi put a hand over her mouth. Sakura squirmed to get away from Kakashi's grip. "What was that for?" Sakura said glaring at her sensei.

"I'll tell you later," said Kakashi as he looked back up at Naruto, Sasuke, and his Sensei.

"Hokage?" Naruto asked as he looked up at Minato. Minato laughed and shook his head.

"Don't you know dobe?" asked Sasuke through folded hands near his face.

"Know what?"

"Seems they got me confused with my cousin," Said Minato as he pointed to his head sculpture in the cliff.

"That a lie you're the -" Sakura was cut of by Kakashi's hand once more.

"Enough Sakura, this is the cousin of our Yondaime, he is not lying," Kakashi responded to Sakura as he removed his hand. "Forgive me Minato-sensei, My student is not very good at keeping quiet. Then again, neither his Naruto." Minato nodded at his student and looked back at Naruto and Sasuke.

"They did good. Sasuke fought with sharingan, but was out smarted by Naruto. Both very impressive."

"Minato-sensei, did you teach my Student something?" Minato laughed.

"Maybe a little, but most of this was his own wits and strength," Minato folding his arms and smiling as he talked. Sasuke's expression went from his normal serious and cocky face, to horrified. Sakura still looked confused. Naruto opened his mouth to speak, but before he could, he was pulled into the kyuubi's mindset and collapsed.

"Hey brat, what are you doing? Don't you want to be NOT a threat to the villagers?"

"Yeah i do, Kurama, but this time, i don't have to take just your ideas into my mind. I can take Minato-sama's ideas into mind as well," said a frowning Naruto.

"Minato? You mean Minato Namikaze?" hissed a angry Kurama.

"Yea, you know him?"

"As a matter of fact i do kit. He is the one responsible for you being jinchuriki," laughed Kurama.

"That's a lie and you know it Kurama, now shut up before i kick your ass, In sage mode!"

"Like to see you try, brat," and with that, Kurama's cage disappeared and Naruto slowly woke up.

"Naruto! Wake up!" Kakashi said firmly, almost as a order. Minato, Sakura, also stood over him looking worried. While Sasuke just rolled his eyes as Naruto woke. Kakashi nodded in relief and stood up, handing his subordinates a form to fill out.

"Theses are for the Chunin exams. Fill these out to enter. After all, you did prove yourself worthy enough to enter."

Naruto nodded and looked at the paper, seeing it needed a parent or gardian signature. "I'll be home in a few, if anyone needs me. I need to go get this signed.

"Old man! i need a signature for the chunin exams!" shouted Naruto as he barged into the office of the sandaime.

"Ahh but of course. But why not the man living with you... Minato?" asked the sandaime curiously.

"You knew about him? For how long old man?"

"Lets just say... a few years, Naruto. Have Minato sign it, and i will let you enter."

"Hai!" responded Naruto, putting his right hang up to his forehead in a salute.

Naruto walked home still trying to take what he head in. He opened the door to see Minato making dinner. Naruto guessed it was ramen. "Back so soon, Naruto?" asked Minato looking up from the stove.

"Yea... Old man knows you're here and wants you to sign this instead..."

Minato looked slightly surprised at this. He wasn't surprised the Sandaime knew that he was alive, due to the note previously, but that he asked him to sign the form. "Sure," said Minato smiling before taking the paper and signing.


	8. Chunin exams part 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto meets Fu and Gaara.

'word'=telepathy 

Naruto

Naruto walked passed a few chunin in on the way to the academy. Today was the beginning of the chunin exams. "Go to room 301." Team 7 nodded and walked in. Naruto walked ahead of everyone else and climbed the stairs so the second floor. Thing is, there was a crowd of people at room 201, shocking team seven. Room 301 was on the third floor.

"Genjustu?" Asked Sakura looking towards the crowd of ninja. Sasuke nodded. They walked up the next flight of stairs and walked in room 350. They figured that the genjustu was to file out the genin who couldn't figure out that it was a simple genjustu, would be disqualified as part of the test. That's when they saw the other rookie 9. Including a few other teams from the leaf, not that much older.

"Sasuke-kun!" a whine came from Ino as she shoved her face into Sasuke's, and then was punched by Sakura.

"Sasuke-kun is mine, Ino-pig!" Little did they know, everyone was glaring at them.

"Pardon me," sounded a new voice. Everyone looked towards another genin from the leaf with silver hair and glasses. "If you would quiet down, we may not end up being killed here at the moment."

"Who are you?" asked Sasuke in a ice old voice.

"Yakushi Kabuto." Sasuke nodded. "I'm a veteran here in the Chunin exams... I could help you if you wish," said Kabuto with a smile.

"No thanks," said Naruto suddenly and folded his arms.

"You sure? Uchiha, who do you want information on?"

"Uhhh... How about Gaara, of the desert and... him," Sasuke said pointing at Naruto. Several gasps came from the rookie 12. Kabuto nodded and pulled out cards.

"Here is Gaara of the desert," said pulling out a card from the stack. "13 C-rank missions, and only 10 D-rank missions. Impressive for a Genin. His team, Temari, and Kankuro, all children of the Yondaime Kazekage... Sensei, Baki," finished Kabuto before handing the card to Sasuke who observed it carefully.

"Sasuke you really gonna believe those cards?"

"I'd believe them over you any day, dobe."

"And the other you said... Naruto Uzumaki?" Kabuto took the card from Sasuke and put chakra into it once more. "One accidental A-rank that was a C-rank, 2 C-rank and 32 D-rank. Less impressive except for the A-rank. His team is team 7, Uchiha Sasuke, HarunoSakura, and sensei, Kakashi Hatake, also know as Copy Ninja Kakashi," finished Kabuto. Why would the Uchiha want to know about Naruto? he's on his team... Then Kabuto also noticed something. "Oh... it also seems he's been a orphan his entire life and is from two really powerful clans that are thought to be extinct..." All eyes went on Naruto who just shrugged. "These clans are the Uzumaki clan, feared for their sealing Justu, and the Namikaze clan, feared for their speed, power, and also sealing Justu as well."

Everyone gasped. Gaara who was listening from a distance heard about Naruto's heritage. But that wasn't all. He could feel powerful Chakra radiating off the boy. More powerful the Shukaku's Chakra. He could also feel a similar chakra, but less dangerous coming off a blue haired girl. "Stay away from those two, Temari, Kankuro." Temari and Kankuro stared in shock at their little brother. Not because he talked, which he rarely did, but because he was afraid. Which indicated that the Blue haired girl and the blonde with winkers on his cheeks were very powerful.

"Alright Gaara," responded Temari, worried. Kankuro was still trying to get what he had heard though his skull. Gaara's afraid? Thought Kankuro, who just sighed afterwards.

Fu

Fu sat next to her supposedly genin teammates, who were really chunin. She felt a powerful chakra coming from two people in the crowd. She could tell one chakra was weaker then her's. However it was still extremely powerful for any normal person. Fu guessed it was some sort of tailed beast, but she wasn't sure.

What are they? Are they other Jinchuriki? Can we become friends?

Fu had never really had any friends, but she still had a village who had now at least stopped giving her glares when she was in view.

"Fu, what's wrong?" said Yoro, one of her chunin teammates.

"There's someone stronger then me here..."

Yoro and Kegon looked at her in shock. She was Jinchuriki. There were only two people that could possibly be stronger then her, and they knew exactly who those people were. The Nine-tail Jinchuriki, and the Eight-tail Jinchuriki. 'Fu, Kegon,' said Yoro. 'you know what this means, right?'

'yea, i do Yoro, who is this person?' asked Kegon as he looked around nervously.

'I believe it's that boy over there, with the blonde hair, blue eyes, and the whisker marks on his cheeks...' Yoro and Kegon stared at Naruto.

'Can you tail beast telepathy with him? See what tailed beast he holds?'

'No can do Kegon, it has to be in agreement with the Jinchuriki and the tailed beast to do so. There is also someone else... He seem's weaker then me but, he has the same feeling... but weaker...'

'Another?!' Shouted Kegon and Yoro in their minds in unison.

'yea.. the read head with the sand gourd and the symbol on his forehead.' Fu pointed at Gaara and they nodded. Just as soon as they did, she could feel four pairs of eyes on her, and she knew who they were from. Her team, the the other two Jinchuriki. Naruto walked over and replaced his serious look with a smile.

"Hey, whats your name?"

"F-Fu," she stuttered. Naruto nodded.

"You are also a Jinchuriki, are you not?" Fu looked shocked for a moment then realized that he must have felt it as well. Fu nodded.

"My name is Uzumaki Naruto, Jinchuriki of the Nine-tails." Fu and her team froze.

'that explains the whisker marks,' indicated Kegon as they looked at Naruto.

Gaara

Who is he...

Almost as if Naruto could read his mind, Naruto spun around and glared at Gaara.

"I don't like people who leave their comrades to die."


	9. Chunin exams part 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto and friends take the first test.

Gaara

"I don't like people who leave their comrades to die."

Gaara froze as Naruto walked up to him. He'd never been scared of someone before until Naruto had walked towards him, red chakra pouring out of him. Naruto's fingernails looked like claws, teeth were fangs and his eyes were red and slits like a fox's. Not only that, Naruto's whiskers thickened and his red chakra cloak had formed a tail.

Is this some sort the beast transformation like Shukaku's when i fall alseep or get angry?

Gaara didn't know what to do when something unknown happened.

*smack*

Naruto's fist had his Gaara's face. His speed was fast, barely stopped by the sand under Shukaku's control, but Naruto's chakra was to great, his fist went through the sand. Gaara and his team stood in shock. Someone had actually managed to hit him. That had never happened before.

"Naruto!" Kakashi appeared by Naruto grasping Naruto's arm. "Now is not the time to be starting a fight you damn fox." Naruto took aback to this but soon relaxed as the chakra and fox appearance quickly faded and a seal was visible on Naruto's arm.

"I'm sorry, Kakashi-sensei..."

"Go back to Sasuke and Sakura. Now. Don't make me tell lord Hokage and Minato." Naruto nodded and walked back towards his team. Kakashi went with him, gave the seal to Sasuke, and then left after giving them some words of good luck. Gaara envied this.

Fu

'That boy... he's strong enough to take on another tailed beast...'

Suddenly a man walked into the room with multiple Chunin.

"I will be your procter for the first round of the Chunin exams. The chunin around you will be looking around for cheaters during the written test. Anyone who cheats, the entire team will be disqualified. If you wish to go to the bathroom or get a drink, you will be escorted by one of these chunin. Begin!"

Fu looked at her paper and was in shock. It was much harder then she expected. That's when she realized she would have to cheat to do the test. And so that's what she did. Since she was the Seven-tail Jinchuriki, she got along with insects pretty well, even though she wasn't a insect handler. So she decided to ask on the insects flying around in the room to tell her the answers people were getting. And so she did.

Hinata

Hinata sat next to Naruto who seemed to have grown since the academy. No longer had he been a little boy. Naruto was now very mature, but she still couldn't understand why she had to stay away from the boy she loved. She had always been told to stay away, but she never wanted to. Hinata sighed as she looked at her text. She realized that she would have to cheat without being caught. That was the point of the test, after all.

Byakugan

Hinata activated her eye's and searched the room for answers. She saw her cousin Neji Hyuga, who hated her for being the heiress of his clan, but not because of that, but because she was in the head of the clan, who was responsible for the death of his father, was using the same exact technique to find the answers.

Ino

Ino wasn't the smartest in her team. No not at all. The smartest on her team was Shikamaru Nara. However, Ino did have her tricks on how to cheat on a test.

Mind Transfer Justu

Ino's mind went into another another person's body and soon, Ino was looking at the answers the boy had collected so far.

Heh. Heh. Heh. Now i just have to read these over and memorize the answers, then write them on my own paper.

Soon Ino had finished two questions.

Seven left to go.

Sasuke

Sasuke's mind kept wandering to what Kakashi had said to him. The words rang loud and clear in Sasuke's head. Kakashi's exact words were:

"If Naruto ever does something like that again... Put this on him. No matter what. Good luck, Sasuke, Sakura, Naruto."

Sasuke didn't understand it. How did his teammate become so strong, so quickly?

*sigh*

Sasuke dismissed the thoughts from his head and activated his sharingan. and looked at the boy ahead of him.

Whatever he writes, i write.

Naruto

For Naruto, this was too easy. He'd learned so many Justu from Minato, this was just to simple for Naruto. Either way, Naruto still had to do this very simple task, even if it pained him. Naruto decided to act as if was training and cast a genjustu. Genjustu was never his best area for fighting or anything, but it had improved a lot. He had barely been able to do it, but now with Kakashi-sensei, and Minato to help him, it became easy. Those around Naruto were trapped in the genjustu except Hinata, and the chunin. He didn't want to hurt Hinata, and that was one of the reasons he didn't include her.

"I want the answers to the questions," Naruto said sternly to the other genin before him in his genjustu.

"No way! we won't tell you a thing!"

"Very well," said Naruto as a pulled out a Kunai and threw it right next to one of them. It didn't hit the girl, but it made her give in with fear.

"Alright alright we'll tell you!"

"Thank you."

After Naruto had gathered the answers, he felt guilty of what i had done. He normally wasn't ever that harsh, but he wanted to become Hokage, and passing this test was essential to this. By the time Naruto had finished the test, there were two hours left. Naruto sighed. as he knew he'd be bored for a while.

Neji

Neji was searching for the answers when his eyes connected with Lady Hinata's. He hated her. Although he knew she had done no harm to him, her father had. After all, after Lady Hinata was kidnapped, they wanted the head of the clan to give himself up, and so the cloud ninja could have at least one Byakugan. However, that was not how it had happened. Instead, Neji's father had his curse mark that made him obey the head of the clan. Henceforth, Neji's father payed the price so Lady Hinata could have a father, and the clan still have a head that was old enough. Neji now bears that same curse mark and he will not forget, everyone has their fate.

Neji sighed.

Becoming Chunin comes first. Dealing with the head of the family and fate, later.

Naruto

Naruto walked through the halls of the academy, and soon walked out of the gates and into the forest where he had first met Minato. He sighed, the realized he was being watched.

"Hey, Minato," said Naruto as he looked up towards his Uncle, smiling.

"What are you doing here Naruto? Did the first round end yet?"

Naruto laughed as he climbed the tree with chakra and sat next to Minato on the branch. "Nope. I asked to go to the bathroom since i had finished. Then created a Kage bushin to take my place. After all, i already know about the tenth question. My clone can handle."

Minato laughed and jumped down from the tree. "How bout some ramen?"

Naruto's eyes brightened. He'd hadn't been his normal self lately but ramen fixed almost everything for Naruto. "Sure!"

Minato walked with Naruto to Ichiraku Ramen. Strangely enough, Minato wasn't henged when they walked into the stand.

"Hey old man! The usual please!"

"Naruto! Nice to see you agai..." Teuchi trailed off as he saw Minato.

"Old man whats wrong?"

"Nothing is wrong with him Naruto. He's just surprised to see me. We need to talk, Naruto."

"Minato... h-how are you alive? Everyone thinks you died years ago in the Kyuubi attack."

Minato

"I know... i thought i would discuss that with Naruto. Please don't tell anyone i'm alive, for now."

Teuchi nodded and handed Naruto and Minato their bowls of miso ramen.

"So... what did you want to talk about, Minato?"asked Naruto. Suddenly Kakashi walked in.

"Naruto. Aren't you supposed to be in the Chunin exams?" Naruto laughed and Kakashi asked if Minato if He was going to tell Naruto who he really was. Minato nodded and told him that they were going to talk about it in a minute. "In that case i'll stay."

Minato laughed and turned his head towards Naruto who was frowning. After all he didn't hear their conversation so he had nothing to go on. "Alright Naruto... Its time i tell you the truth. Remember when i told you that we were related?"

Naruto frowned but then nodded. The truth?

"Well... that wasn't all the truth... In fact. Half of it was..." Minato sighed. "Half of it was a lie..."

Naruto's eyes widened, but then Information streamed through His mind as if his shadow clone has dispersed. Then Minato realized that Naruto's kage bushin did disperse.

"I gotta go, second round starts in a hour. See you Minato, Kakashi-Sensei!"

"Now, Minato, how are you alive exactly?" asked Teuchi, confused. Minato smiled, but then explained to both Kakashi and Teuchi. After all, Kakashi never even asked once.


	10. Chunin exams part 4: secrets

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N yes i know its the forest of death, but its going to be danger for the chapter title. Deal with it, PLEASE. Team seven runs into trouble.

Minato

It had only been a few hours, but he couldn't help but wonder how Naruto was doing. He missed his son and wanted him to do well. Minato had the urge to move, and so he got up from the couch he was laying on and made some instead ramen. When it had finished he sat back down and began to eat. Finally he gave up and decided to check up on his son with the demon scroll. Minato put his bowl down and walked towards the counter the scroll had was. However when he looked at the counter, hand extended, the scroll had disappeared without a trace.

Naruto...

Minato figured his son had taken it. But why?

Naruto

Naruto was the last of his team to reach training ground 44. However, Naruto couldn't get what his uncle had said to him.

It was a lie?

"Naruto, you okay?"

"Yeah, just a little troubled..."

Sakura tilted her head but soon shrugged it off. Naruto decided he wanted information on the sound ninja who were watching him, and Fu. Naruto walked towards Kabuto and searched for information on the waterfall and sound ninja.

"Well well well. The great Namikaze, Uzumaki Naruto returns. What may I be of honor for this visit?"

"Knock it off, Kabuto. I wont information on the sound team, and team Fu."

"So you changed your mind huh?" Naruto shrugged in agreement. "Even better that you know their names," Kabuto said as he pulled out a card. "The sound teammates done 13 D-rank, and... 34 C-rank," Kabuto continued, acting surprised. "The team consists of Kin. Zaku, and Dosu. Justus damage the ears, making the opponent unable to fight back. Sensei is unknown."

Naruto furrowed his eyebrow's as the sensei came into mind. How can there be a unknown sensei?

"Team Fu, consists of Fu, and her teammates are unknown, sensei, unknown. Her Justu consists of things bugs can do, and she can use bugs even though she is not from a bug user clan... She had the status of a Jinchuriki, and is from the waterfall country."

"So she's like me?" Naruto asked, furrowing his brow.

"You could say that."

Naruto nodded, heading back to his teammates for the second half of the exam. Another reason was to see why Sasuke was collecting Chakra.

"Oi Sasuke! No killing anyone yet!"

"Shut up, dobe. You know that you're not as strong as me."  
"Yea, Sasuke's right! You don't even have a kekkei genkai."

Sasuke

Sasuke was glaring at Gaara, who was glaring at him. Sasuke wasn't really on Gaara's good side, due to a incident before the exams started.

Flashback

"Naruto-Niisan!" Konohamaru shouted. "That's not fair!" Naruto laughed like a maniac.

"Gotta do better then that!" Naruto shouted as he was jogging to a tree. Konohamaru followed, but ran into someone.

"Oh, I'm sorry, Mister," Konohamaru said backing up.

"Beat it kid!" Shouted the stranger in front of him. He had a black outfit with a string packet on his back and war paint.

"I- I'm s-sorry..."

"Looks like i'll be having Crow teach you a lesson," Said the stranger as a unwrapped a puppet.

"Kankuro, enough!" Said a girl running up to the puppet master.

"Termari, beat it."

Suddenly Sasuke threw a rock from the tree he was watching from, at Kankuro. "You're not from around here. According from your headband... You're from Suna."

"Yea, so?"

"Why are you here?" Sasuke said threatening Kankuro."

"Chunin exams."

"That's enough, Kankuro," said a new voice.

"G-Gaara..."

How did he get next to me, i didn't even hear him...

"Lets go, we don't need to cause trouble on our first day here," Gaara said getting down from the tree.

"Says the mass murderer."

Gaara growled under his breath. "You know i'm like that because of Shukaku. And if you don't shut up, i'll add you to my list too."

Well that settles of who's in charge of the other two.

"Hey, wait," Said Sasuke looking at Gaara. "I'm interesting in you. What's your name?"

"Gaara. Gaara of the desert. You?"

"Uchiha Sasuke."

"He's the sole Uchiha?" Questioned Kankuro.

"Yes, i am. Now disappear from my sight before i kill you."

In a split second, the three vanished in a sandstorm.

Naruto pouted that he wasn't acknowledged, again.

Flashback end

Sasuke couldn't help it. Gaara seemed so evil. His two teammates feared him. Suddenly, Sasuke was pulled into his mindscape. He couldn't understand why. Only Jinchuriki's were known to have mindscapes, so why did he have one? Suddenly a figure appeared before him. It was made of red and blue chakra, making him seem purple. He also took the appearance of a wolf, black seams running throughout him.

"Who are you?"

The demon before him snickered. "Foolish mortal. I am Rokai, Kitsune no demon."

Sasuke flinched. He had heard that name many times in fairy tales. But them Sasuke remembered something that his mother always told him, before his brother Itachi killed everyone in the clan. "Every story has some sort of truth" were the words.

"You will be my vessel. My Jinchuriki until i leave. You will not die when i do so."  
Sasuke flinched. He was not a Jinchuriki like Naruto. He did not like this one bit but just nodded. "When will you leave my body?"

"When Kitsune no Kyuubi is dead." Rokai stood still, not moving one inch. He had golden eyes that seemed like they could read Sasuke's soul. Sasuke didn't know what to do.

"You want him dead? " Sasuke didn't know if he should sell out his best friend/rival or not. "I know who the Kyuubi's Jinchuriki is."

"Oh, is this true? who is it then?"

"Uzumaki Naruto."  
Rokai lifted his head at the name. "An Uzumaki, huh."

Sasuke was confused at this. "What do you mean an Uzumaki?"

"You clearly know nothing. The Uzumaki clan was known for the sealing Justu. However, that is not the only thing they have."

"What do you mean?" Sasuke asked, while shifted slightly.

"The Uzumaki clan also has a kekkai genkai. The Rinnegan. Also known as the most powerful dojustu ever. The rinnegan gives the user many powers. It gives the user all five chakra nature affinities, power over gravity, and they can absorb chakra. If the user chooses to use dead bodies, those bodies get the rinnegan and the site is connected. The user is also able to see chakra, and use very powerful genjustu."

"Naruto is that strong?" Sasuke was getting angry now. It was now possible that Naruto may have a stronger dojustu, waiting to be awakened.

"Foolish Mortal. Of Course. Uzumaki's also have been the only clan to hold Kurama anyway. However, they also have another kekkei genkai. The women of the clan tend to have chakra chains passed down through every generation, while the men, have the rinnegan. And all members of the clan have large chakra pools."

Sasuke shifted once more. "What about the Namikaze clan? A reliable source told me that he is also from the Namikaze clan."

"Lots of questions from you huh. The Namikaze clan was also known for their sealing Justu. However, more over their speed. Namikaze Minato was the last member of the clan. If Uzumaki Naruto is also part of the Namikaze clan, then he must somehow be related to Minato Namikaze."

Sasuke flinched at the name Namikaze Minato. After all, that was the name of the forth Hokage. "So in all... You're saying that Naruto is stronger then me..." Rokai nodded.

"You will need alot of training to keep up with Uzumaki Naruto."

With that, Sasuke left his mindscape. He now understood that if people found out about this, he would be treated how Naruto used to be treated.

Sakura

Sakura never payed much attention to Naruto. However, recently Naruto seemed to be surpassing Sasuke very quickly. She didn't know how, she didn't know why. She also figured that the Forth Hokage was helping Naruto. After all, She had met him first hand.

"Sasuke, are you there?" Sasuke looked up at Naruto and Sakura. Then he nodded at Sakura, and gave Naruto a hateful glare.

"Hey hey, what's that for?" asked Naruto backing up.

"For being a demon." Naruto stood still. Stunned. Sakura understood why. Sasuke had just revealed Naruto's secret to all the teams close by. Those included team Fu, Team Baki, the sound team, and many more. Some gave Naruto hateful glares, other's looked fearful. Especially the ones from Temari and Kankuro of team Baki.

"Ho- How did you know? Did Kakashi Sensei tell you?"

"In a way, but i mostly figured it out myself." Naruto backed up, and Sakura couldn't stand it anymore.

"Enough! We're getting glares. You don't want to make a fuss before the second round starts do you?" 

All went silent.


	11. Chunin exams part 5: Forest of danger

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> A/N yes i know its the forest of death, but its going to be danger for the chapter title. Deal with it, PLEASE. Team seven runs into trouble.

Minato

 

Minato couldn't understand why Naruto had taken the scroll. He knew Naruto was probably curious about it, but it just bugged him. He couldn't check up on his son without the scroll.

"Stop worrying Yondaime. You're giving me a headache."

"Easy for you to say, Kurama," responded Minato as he moved back to the couch.

"He's fine. If you want i can contact my other half inside of him."

"Kurama, have you forgotten that he can't control you're half yet?" I only survived you're claw because i had you inside of me and Kami thought i was worthy enough to live."

"That doesn't mean i can't try." Minato nodded in thanks. "Get to sleep Yondaime."

Naruto

"Alright Maggots! The second round is a survival round. The rules are simple. Each team has a heaven or earth scroll. A team must get the scroll they don't have from another team. Killing is allowed. You can not make face scrolls, can't open then until you reach the tower. You have three days. If one of you're teammates is dead or missing and you come to the tower, you FAIL."

Naruto was not happy about being called a "maggot" at all. He didn't like the procter either. Naruto sighed and then shouted:

"We're not maggots!" Naruto had a plan behind this as well. Act weak before the exam starts, and kick their ass when they try to attack his team. Suddenly a kunai cut his cheek, but healed almost immediately.

"Well well well. Someone is eager," said the protecter from behind, freaking out Naruto.

"Says the protecter that acts like a stalker!" Other teams laughed. Suddenly a grass shinobi came up behind the protecter, startling her and almost killing the shinobi. "Oh.."

"Sorry for startling you, protecter, but i retrieved your kunai," the grass nin said as he held out the kunai with his abnormally long tongue.

"Thank you. Alright maggots! You have ten minutes to get to you're assigned gate after everyone has gotten a scroll. Now go!"

Immediately genins headed into the tent to get their scrolls. Naruto's team was the seventh team in line. Fitting due to that his team was team 7. The chunin in the tent handed Sasuke a heaven scroll. "Arigato," Naruto responded with, surprising the chunin. Naruto, Sasuke, and Sakura headed the gate 37, out of the 44 gates. Ten minutes later, the chunin told them to enter. Naruto could feel Gaara's and Fu's chakra nearby.

"This way," pointed Naruto, towards Gaara.

"Hmph. Why should we listen to you, dead last?"

"Teme. I got us through the bell test, didn't I? I beat you in a fight, didn't I? I beat you in tree climbing, didn't I?"

"Hmph," was Sasuke's only response.

"Sasuke, why do you let him push you around like that?" whined Sakura.

Sasuke

Suddenly, a large snake gulped up Naruto and slithered away. Sasuke and Sakura looked at each other knowing they would have to find Naruto. They started running, but then was suddenly trapped in a genjustu. "What the.." said Sasuke. He couldn't move.

Move damn it move!

Slowly Sasuke willed himself to move, purple looking chakra leaking out him like did with Naruto. Only difference was that Sasuke's was much more powerful. Or so Sasuke thought. Suddenly, Sasuke's cloak disappeared and he has his kunai in his shoulder, sharingan activated.

"Impressive..." murmured a voice in front of him. Sasuke looked up to see the grass ninja with the abnormally long tongue.

"Who are you?" demanded Sasuke, standing up. "That summoning was way to big for any genin."

"Ah, just like you're brother. I should have figured you would've found out soon. Since you've figured it out, my name is Orochimaru." Sasuke flinched at the name. He was fighting one of the three great sanin. Not only that, a rouge ninja and a genius.

Naruto

Naruto figured who ever summoned the snake was a much higher level then a genin's. Naruto sighed figuring who ever it was, planned it keep Naruto away from Sasuke. He summoned a few hundred shadow clones to defeat the summoned snake. A second later, he was on the ground running to where Sasuke was. When he got there, Sasuke was fighting someone, who soon revealed himself as Orochimaru, one of the three great sanin. Naruto then looked at Sakura and saw that she was under a genjustu. He slowly moved over to her, unnoticed due to the fighting of the two ninja, and released Sakura from her trap.

"Thanks, Naruto." Naruto nodded and gave the scroll to Sakura.

"Keep it safe," he said as he ran into the battle. Sasuke was badly bruised, and had a few cuts on his arms and face, but would survive.

Orochimaru smirked. "Nice way of defeating my summoning, Naruto-kun." Naruto glared. Suddenly Naruto saw Orochimaru start the summoning justu once more. He ran to try and stop him, but it was too late. "If you want this," Orochimaru said holding a scroll, before wrapping his tongue around it and swallowing it, almost making Sasuke and Naruto puke in disgust. "You're gonna have you kill me."

Naruto growled in anger. He couldn't figure out why Orochimaru was here. Naruto sighed, before taking out a summoning scroll. Naruto quickly undid the blood seal and summoned a sword. Orochimaru smirked. Suddenly, the snake dashed towards, Sasuke, slamming him into a tree. "You bastard!"

"Sasuke-kun, you've fought well. I shall leave you a parting gift," Orochimaru said as his neck stretched out to Sasuke, giving him a hickey(curse mark). Sasuke screamed in pain, and Sakura just stared in horror.

"What you done to Sasuke!?" Sakura screamed. However, that was cut off by growling and the sense of evil chakra.

Orochimaru

Orochimaru laughed, seeing Naruto. "So the kyuubi did live. Such a shame that you're own father sealed the Kyuubi inside of you, Naruto-kun."

Naruto just responded, growling getting deeper, as his rage was heightening. "Don't you dare. Don't you dare talk about my oto-san like that, you bitch!"

Sakura just gasped at this, finally realizing the missing pieces. Naruto looked so much like the Yondaime, other then the whiskers. The other thing, was the kind heart that the Yondaime showed her and her teammates while he was around, even though Naruto still didn't know who he was. Also realizing what Orochimaru just said, the appearance and kind hearts both shared, now made sense why. They were father and son.

Suddenly Naruto dashed at Orochimaru, sending him flying into a tree after a painful blow. Orochimaru didn't even see him coming, and as soon as he got up, Naruto was once again, in front of him. However, this time Naruto just stood there. His nails were claws, and teeth were fangs, but that made sense. Same with the red cloak, thickened whiskers and the yellow hair that stood on end. There was one thing off though. Naruto's eyes were orange. orange with one black ring, and pupils in slits like the kyuubi's. "No way... Don't tell me..." Orochimaru trailed off as Naruto hit him on the face with his fist. Or now should say paw, due to him in the stance of a attacking animal and the kyuubi transformation.

"I'll kill you!" Naruto once more dashed at Orochimaru, and sending him about 30 or so meters away.

"Naruto!" A feminine voice suddenly called out, relaxing Naruto as if his job was done. And with that, Orochimaru disappeared.

I would like to get my hand on the Rinnegan as well... May be useful. Orochimaru smirked.

The first day of the second round of the chunin exams had passed.


	12. Chunin exams part 6

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Sakura helps protect her teammates to the best of her ability (Continues on into the next chapter).

Sakura

The next day, Naruto and Sasuke were still knocked out from the fight the previous night. Sakura didn't know what to do, all she could do was protect them from any harm that came. She had always walked behind the two whenever the team was endangered. Sakura sighed as she watched Naruto and Sasuke sleep peacefully on the ground under the shelter of the tree roots.

Sakura Decided to lay out some traps for her enemies in case any tried to attack and do anything. Even if they didn't have a scroll anymore since Orochimaru burned their heaven scroll and swallowed his own earth scroll, nothing was of value. Apart from their lives. Sakura also remembered that Orochimaru said that he was in command of the sound team before he left, worrying her. If the sound team showed up, she wanted to know. After all, Orochimaru did give Sasuke a curse mark. Sakura lied down a wire underneath a grass patch that wasn't supposed to be there. Ultimately fooling her enemies where the trap was. When they saw the grass that was out of place, she would cut the rope behind her, causing logs, stones, kunai and sebon, shuriken to fall, revealing the true trap. When Sakura finished, she sighed in relief, and sat next to sleeping a Naruto and Sasuke.

Sound team

Kin, Zaku and Dosu watched as Sakura tended to Sasuke by putting a wet cloth on his forehead to keep his fever down. She didn't seem to pay much to her another teammate as he seemed to be just fine.

"Remember our orders. Orochimaru-sensei said we need to strike and dawn. Our target... Uchiha Sasuke!" huffed Dosu as he stared at team seven in impatience.

Zaku shifted as he waited for dawn to come. He could finally impress Orochimaru-sama, the creator of the hidden village of sound. "So that means if the other two get in the way... We can kill 'em, right?" Dosu and Kin just smirked.

"That or just take them out and drop them off somewhere," whispered Kin back ad quietly as she could. Then Kin looked up to see that sunlight was being revealed overhead of the trees. "Look it's dawn," scuffed Kin as she pointed to the light dimly peering down from the trees. Her teammates nodded when a squirrel came by them.

"Feel like some abusive inspection?"

Dosu and Kin just smirked at his antics and handed him a paper bomb. Zaku smiled freakishly and placed the paper bomb on the squirrel who later walked towards a grassy patch. This seemed to startle Sakura as she thought it was a enemy. Realizing it was a squirrel, she relaxed until she saw it near her decoy trap. That would only make one small stone fall. Either way she didn't risk it and threw a kunai at the squirrel, causing it to run away.

"Someone is up tight," Muttered Kin as she folded her arms.

"You think she noticed the paper bomb on the squirrel?"

Dosu shook his head at Zaku. "I highly doubt that. It's something else. However, i can't quite put my finger on it at the moment..." Zaku nodded accepting his teammate's answer. "Might as well attack now, huh?" His team nodded in response. "Leggo."

"Who's t-there?" Sakura shuddered as she looked around nervously.

Lee

"Alright. We need to do a quick search to make sure there are no enemies around. We scatter around in half a mile distance and meet back here. Lee, you go south, Tenten, west, and I'll go northwest. Meet back here in a half hour," ordered Neji has his team scattered in their assigned directions.

Lee was scoping around the area he was in while training at the same time. Grabbing leaves and letting them fall. Then catching them before they hit the ground. Suddenly Lee noticed a squirrel on its back squirming. He picked up the squirrel quickly before removing the paper bomb on the squirrel's back, saving the squirrel.

Poor creature. This is such a cruel and unyouthful act!

Lee decided to go in search of who put the paper bomb on the squirrel a little bit farther then Neji's assigned distance. When he arrived, Sakura was facing the sound team. Her team knocked out for some reason unknown to Lee.

"What, the real trap's over there!" sounded one of the Oto-nin as the trap collapsed on them However, it didn't harm any of them other then a few scraps.

"Yosh! Leave this girl alone... Or else." The Oto-nin just laughed at him.

"L-Lee-san," stuttered Sakura in surprise.

"Hehhehheh... You think you can defeat us? You may be strong in attacking, however... Our attacks or sonic! There's nothing you can do to stop them!"

Dosu and Zaku started to walk towards Sakura to make deal with her and the kill Uchiha Sasuke. However, before they could do so, Lee shouted:

"Konoha Leaf Hurricane!"


	13. Chunin exams part 7: Battle

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> last chapter's summary.

"Konoha Leaf Hurricane!"

Dosu and Zaku moaned in pain as Lee's leg hit their arms, knocking them back into a tree. "I see you powerful in taijustu, but our sound, is faster then any physical training..." spoke Zaku, aggravated.

"We'll have to see," responded lee, ready for the challenge. Zaku just smirked. Looks like i'll have to use the lotus... Lee began to undo the cloth around his arms in order to do the lotus. Dosu and Zaku just smirked before Lee disappeared from sight. Lee came back into view, but not very long. In that split second, Lee slid on the ground, and kicked Dosu into the ground. Then tied Dosu in the cloth, soaring through the air. It was a very graceful move. Or though it seemed to Sakura. She'd already seen it. Well most of it anyway. As soon as Sakura finished her train of thought, Lee and Dosu began crashing down to earth, spinning. Zaku, Dosu, and Kin all knew if that Dosu didn't do anything, it would be the end for him. Dosu used a short and silent sound Justu to uproot a small but soft section of earth. When they landed, Dosu had no serious injuries, sparing him his life. "I-Impossible..."

"Zaku, Kin. I'm going to deal with the Uchiha. You two heal with these pests."

Lee stepped forward to protect Sasuke and Naruto. "I won't let you get past me. You are very unyouthful!" Zaku just smirked at Lee's antics.

"I'm you're opponent, Bowl-cut man. And like we said, you're no match for us! let me say it again. Our power is..." Zaku sounded his Justu. "Super sonic!"

"Lee-san!" Sakura looked at Lee in agony. "Lee, your ears are bleeding!" Lee didn't move, but just stared at the ground and coughed up blood before putting a hand to his ear. Sakura attempted to get up, but her hair was grabbed from behind.

"Kin, i'll let you deal with her..."muttered Zaku as he sat on a log.

Memories of Sasuke and Naruto flashed in Sakura's eyes while Lee fainted. "They *sob* always protected...*sob* me.."

"You're not fit to be a shinobi. Long pink hair, a weak body, You're no Kunoichi. Not only that, but you're crying!" spat Kin with venom in her voice. This struck Sakura, hard.

"I'm... I'm not weak!" Sakura took the Kunai she was holding and cut her hair that Kin was holding. Dosu and Zaku just stared, not expecting the Leaf kunoichi to cut her hair. As she stood up, a flash appeared before her and went to Dosu. The flash didn't startle her. However, who was in front of her did.

"Expansion Justu!" Sakura smiled as her heard the voice of Choji, who grabbed Dosu and threw him into a tree, knocking him out.

"Choji, wait," sounded Shikamaru. "Grab hold of the girl." Choji did this. "Shadow Possession Justu!" Choji immediately let go as the shadow touched the Kin.

"W-Wha?"  
"Allow me to introduce ourselves... I am Nara Shikamaru. This is team ten... Yamaka Ino, and Akimichi Choji are my teammates," muttered Shikamaru lazily.

"I don't care who you are. Let me go!" Kin tried to move but couldn't.

"You will not escape any of OUR kekkei genkai, Missy," voiced Ino.

"Ino... Now!"

"Mind body switch Justu!"

"Nice work Ino!" cheered Choji.

Zaku just grimaced. "Do you really think I won't Attack my teammate?" Zaku finished as Dosu woke up. Shikamaru put a shadow Justu on him.

"What do you mean?"

"Well, how about this... Decapitating Airwaves!" This Justu caused Kin's body to fly back into a tree, but not knocking Ino out.

"How dare you attack you're own teammate!" Ino left Kin's body, leaving the girl still responding.

"It appears that you have underestimated you're enemy," came a new voice above. "That green ninja is our's. We would take him and leave but considering the fact that you have harmed him, we have no choice but to join this fight..." Neji and Tenten were about to rush down when Sasuke wakened and punched Dosu, who'd been free from Shikamaru's shadow justu for about a minute now. Then he headed for Zaku.

"It seems you value you're arm.. How bout i Break 'em!"

"Sasuke-kun no!" The curse mark spreading throughout Sasuke's body didn't go unnoticed by Sakura. This is not the Sasuke i know and love...

"Guess we wont join then.."

"Enough, Sasuke!" Everyone stopped moving for a minute before looking at Naruto. "You don't need to torture anyone, let them go, they'll leave."

"Yea right, shrimp!" laughed Zaku. Sasuke pressed harder into Zaku's back. "Arg!"

"Sasuke!"

"Do you think you can challenge me Naruto? Because if you do... That is a big mistake..." spat Sasuke, activating his sharingan.

"If a battle is what you want... fight me," spoke Naruto calmly, before adapting his own eyes into the Rinnegan that the kyuubi had told him about.

Sasuke let go of Zaku, who ran off in fear, his team following. "Fine then dobe. Fire Style: Fireball Justu!"

Naruto was not phased by this. "This is boring... Blade of Wind Hurricane Justu!" Immediately after the hand signs were made, a hurricane of wind showed, blowing the fire back at Sasuke, only stronger.

Team Gai

Neji and Tenten decided to get Lee before watching the fight. After they got him, Neji activated the byakugan looking at Sasuke's eyes then Naruto's. "Interesting..."  
"What is it Neji-kun?"

"Well Sasuke has his sharingan activated, Naruto has these orange eyes with one black ring... It looks alot like the rinnegan... Only orange..."

"Rinnegan? Isn't that a myth? The only person thought to have that eye is The Sage of Six Paths..."

While the two watched, Naruto lifted Sasuke into the air, and hit him with his hand, engulfed in chakra. Sasuke screamed in pain as Naruto cut about a inch into Sasuke's arm and threw him into a tree, causing the tree to fall and dust to crowd the clearing. When Naruto settled, he noticed Team Ten, Neji's team, and ninja weapons everywhere. "We better get going."


	14. Chunin exams part 8: Gaara's blood interest

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team seven encounters the one-tail jinchuriki Gaara and his team.

Sasuke had been weary of Naruto since he used him for a tree breaker. He didn't even know how it happened. One second he fired off a fireball justu, and the next thing he knows, it comes back at him stronger then before. Then he's lifted off the ground by some unknown force and thrown into the tree, breaking it. He was waiting for Naruto and Sakura to come back with the fish. He was left to guard camp for his 'quote unquote', "bad behavior". Sasuke could vaguely see his teammates returning from their fishing trip when he heard a noise behind him. Sasuke spun around to see three sand genin from the sound. Gaara no Subaku, and his siblings Temari and Kankuro no Subaku.

"Hello Uchiha Sasuke."

"Gaara no Subaku... it seems that our time to battle has come."

By now both Sakura and Naruto had reappeared. "G-Gaara..." Temari looked at her younger brother before speaking again. "I thought you said to watch out for him..."

"Temari, we're not here for him."

"Sasuke! You will not fight him, teme!"

Sakura winced due to the fact that dead last was limiting her crush's actions. Sasuke just smirked, challenging Naruto. "And who's there to stop me? Dobe."

Sakura straightened up. She would always agree with her crush. Always. "Yea! Who's gonna stop him Baka?!" Sakura aimed a punch for Naruto but he blocked with his hand, still glaring daggers at Sasuke. Instead, after a few more punches that Naruto still managed to block, Sakura settled for punching a tree in frustration.

Gaara and his team just smirked as they examined their surroundings. Large trees everywhere, and a small clearing in the center where team 7 was arguing. "I hope you understand, whiskers, that I only have interest in the Uchiha."

Naruto ignored Gaara and adapted his eyes into rinnegan. "I will." Sakura winced again, along with Sasuke who shrinked down a little as well. Naruto narrowed his eyes at Sasuke. "You fear my dojustu, don't you?"

Sasuke

"You fear my dojustu, don't you, Sasuke."

It wasn't a question. After Sasuke didn't answer the first time, Naruto knew he was. Sasuke activated his sharingan when a voice from his head told bothered him.

"I knew what you're planning Uchiha. It wont work. Remember what I told you about the rinnegan? Remember that well. brat."

Sasuke gave in to the demon's words and removed chakra from his eyes. "Fine, dobe."

Naruto smirked at Sasuke. Sasuke glared back angrily. Then both turned to Gaara's team in the trees. "What scroll do you have?"

"Why does it matter Uchiha. If you're scared of you're teammate, you're no match for me." Gaara folded his arms. " I still have interest in you, but right now, I want you're teammate's blood..."

"Hello again, Gaara. The name's Uzumaki Naruto, future hokage." Sasuke was furious. He was a Uchiha. The most powerful clan in the Hidden Leaf. Even if they were slaughtered by his brother, he was still the only survivor. He should be honored for Kami's sake! That's when Sasuke noticed the killing Intent coming from Gaara.

"Mother..." whispered Gaara in a hushed but fearful tone. "I will give you more blood..." His voice got louder as he spoke, then looked down towards Naruto. "Blood...Of my enemies!"

Naruto

Rinnegan still activated, Naruto dodged the sand shooting towards him. He had barley noticed it! This was not good. He didn't want to kill Gaara, but Gaara truly meant to kill him. "Sasuke! Use you're sharingan and look at the sand!" Sasuke scowled but did as he was order so. When his sharingan adapted, he was astonished at the amount of chakra in the sand. "Sasuke! Well, what do you see?!"

Sasuke looked up at Naruto who was dodging sand. "Chakra. L-lots of ch-chakra..."

Naruto nodded. He expanded his senses so hopefully he wouldn't get hit by Gaara's sand. Suddenly in one blink of a eye, it was gone. The sand was, but the desert team was still standing on a tree branch. Where is it where is it... Naruto turned around to see nothing. On either side there wasn't sand either. Finally he looked above. Still nothing there. Then when he felt a huge amount of chakra, it occurred to him. Below! However, it was to late. Naruto was being surrounded in sand. He couldn't move... However, Naruto didn't panic at this. Why? Because he had no reason to.

"Sand burial!" was Gaara's voice from above. Naruto just smiled under the pressure of the sand being pushed on him. He had fooled Gaara. By the time the sand had exploded, Naruto exploded in a puff of smoke. It had been a shadow clone that was killed.

Farther away, behind the sand team, Naruto blinked at his clone's memories and smirked. Then Naruto look a scroll from his pouch and summoned another scroll. The demon scroll his uncle had told him about. He opened it and thought of a question. Just who is Gaara no Subaku?

The scroll answered immediately with words written on it's page. it read:

Gaara no Subaku. Son of Yondaime Kazekage. Jinchuriki of ichibi, the one tail. Controller of sand.

Shukaku, the one tail who lives inside of Gaara no Subaku. Shukaku gives his Jinchuriki power willingly. Because even if he hates humans and being sealed, the few things Shukaku will allow is blood thirst and sleepless nights. This can often cause the Jinchuriki to go mentally insane, but Shukaku gets all the sleep he wants. This is who Gaara no Subaku is.

The words faded away and Naruto almost felt sorry for the blood thirsty redhead. Not only that, but both of them were sons of Kage. Yondaime kage to be exact. Naruto moved up closer to where he was about 20 feet from the desert team. He once again activated his rinnegan and carefully used his gravity justu to lift things out of the sand team's pouches. He looked through both Temari and Kankuro before he got to Gaara. He was a little weary to use his justu on Gaara, but did it anyway. Gaara had three scrolls in his kunai pouch. A heaven, a earth, and some sort of containment dealing scroll. Naruto took the sealing scroll and the one his team needed to pass. Then he quietly created a shadow clone and sent it to fetch his team.

Temari

Temari wasn't sure how Naruto had out smarted Gaara, but she did know one thing. Gaara would not stop his blood lust until he was satisfied.

"Looks like that team has got skills," muttered Kankuro. Gaara, who heard this sent his sand around Kankuro's neck.

"Shut up, or you'll be one of many to help validate my existence..."

Temari never liked her little brother's 'validating his existence' thing but there was nothing she could do to stop Gaara, or help her other brother. "G-Gaara, will you please put him down? If you kill him now you'll never make it to Chunin. Plus if you kill him we can't follow Baki-sensei's orders for our invasion."

Gaara looked at her will a blood thirsty look, mixed in with a bit of insanity. " Very well, Temari. But next time he bothers me after the invasion... He will validate my existence!" Gaara started laughing like a mad man. Suddenly a voice from below could be heard. A feminine voice. The three looked down to see Sasuke and Sakura glaring at them.

"Where is Naruto!" shouted Sakura at Gaara, pointing a finger. Her face was angry, and Sasuke still had his sharingan activated.

"Right here!"

Temari watched as Naruto walked into the clearing and created at least, five hundred shadow clones. Temari watched was the closest Naruto to the team whispered something to them.

Sakura

"Alright. I got their scroll. I'm also a shadow clone so don't worry it's safe."

Sakura looked at the shadow clone, then at his clone's clone army. It was a field of yellow hair. "So how do we get to the real you?" asked Sasuke. Naruto created three more shadow clones. " crawl out of the clearing. Two of us will henge into you, and they will think its the real you."

Sakura didn't look convinced it would work. "You sure this will work Naruto?" The clone nodded. Sakura and Sasuke ducked underneath the clones and they made a little path where they could crawl into the woods. The third shadow clone created went with them to show them where Naruto was. As soon as they exited the small clearing, two of Naruto's clones ducked down and changed into Sasuke and Sakura. Clone Naruto nodded and they ran to the real Naruto. It wasn't far, about a mile away. They used their chakra to enhance their speed. The trees went by quickly, in which they looked like a blur of green and brown. They reached their destination about five three minutes later. Naruto nodded and dispelled the clones, regaining all their memories.

Sakura smiled at Naruto's plan, but she still thought Sasuke-kun was better. "Dobe." muttered Sasuke.

"Teme."

Kankuro

"What do you think their planning?" asked a ticked off Kankuro. First his brother tried to kill him, second he had to wait for over five minutes to just get answer from his younger brother if he could attack, who still hadn't answered.

Suddenly, there was a voice beside him. "Go ahead, Kankuro."

"Yes! Finally!" Kankuro unwrapped Crow and was about to jump down when there was a series of 'poofs'. Kankuro looked down to see white smoke everywhere in the clearing. When it cleared, there was nothing there. No one. Kankuro's eyes nearly rolled out of his skull, and Temari burst out laughing.

Then Kankuro burst out in anime tears as he didn't get to fight They were tricked.

"What!"


	15. Chunin exams part 9

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Team 7 makes it to the tower.

Naruto and his team walked towards the tower without a problem. Even though everyone was heading there already, his team overcame any opponents they met quickly. None were a match for Team 7. When they entered the tower the room was empty. The only things, or people in the room was a picture, some upper balconies, and Team 7.

"What do you think we do now?"

"Open the scrolls Baka, you heard the the proctor said. Don't open them until we get to the tower. We must have to open then them now in order to pass. Don't you agree, Sasuke-kun?"

Sasuke just rolled his eyes, his arms folded. "Hn."

Naruto took out the two scrolls and handed one to Sasuke. Sasuke looked at both of them. "Open them on three guys... One... Two... Three!"

They opened the heaven and earth scrolls simultaneously, and nothing seemed to happen. Then a Comment later white smoke started pouring out of the Two scrolls. A moment later, a loud 'poof' noise echoed in the room and a cloud of smoke 'poofed' into existence between to two scrolls. When the smoke cleared, it was non other then... "Iruka-sensei!"

"Congratulations, Sakura, Sasuke, Naruto. You have passed the toughest phase of the chunin exam's second test. Now one more thing stands before you." Iruka nodded to the Photo in the wall then back at Team 7. "See the writing on the Photo? This is the last part of the exam you need to solve. Anyone care to read?"

Sakura volunteered "If heaven does not exist you must enrich your knowledge and prepare for the chance. If earth does not exist, run the fields in search for advantage. Open a series of heaven and earth, and the perilous way shale be redressed. This is mainly the secret of the one that guides..."

"So, does anyone know what this means?" Iruka walked forward to his former students.

"It has something to do with the scrolls, right?"

"No duh dobe."

"Enough bickering you two!" Sakura pounded the top of their heads, leaving them stranded on the floor in pain.

Iruka smirked in amusement. "You are correct Naruto. If heaven does not exist in a shinobi, they turn out like you Naruto. Dumb, but strong. If earth does not exist, a shinobi will be like Sakura. Smart, and skillful, but weak and unable to protect something. And if both heaven and earth exist, the shinobi will be like Sasuke. Both smart and witted." Iruka pointed to each of his former students as he explained, while Sasuke got back to standing. "Congrats. Team 7 has passed the Second test of the Chunin exams with flying colors! And just in time."

Naruto started Jumping in the air like a little kid, ready for the next part of the Chunin exams. Sasuke and Sakura just slid down the wall they were on and into a sitting position. "He has too much energy.." Muttered Sasuke. Sakura agreed.

Iruka just laughed as he watched Naruto. "I'd treat you all to ramen but..."  
"Ramen?!"

"... You have to get to the next portion of the Chunin exams."

"Awww..." Naruto pouted and looked at the ground and back at Iruka.

Iruka gave a amused but sorrowful look to Naruto, explaining that 'today was just not the day' and pointed to the door. "I must go. Head through those doors and walk down the hall. The last door to the left is the room you want to go in." Team seven nodded before walking away to the location as directed. Maybe they are ready to be chunin... Just maybe...

As Naruto and his team turned into the room Iruka had told them about, they saw many applicants waiting in lines. The rookie nine among them as well as The sand team, Fu's team, sound team, and every other leaf applicant that had entered. Naruto and his team joined the lines and saw the proctors, sensei's and the hokage. The sandaime stepped closer to the teams and nodded. "Congratulation. You have all passed the second test of the Chunin exams. And now, i would like to explain a few things before we move on. The Chunin exams are not just to make chunins in each nations. They are to balance the power of each country."

Kiba shot up his hands in annoyance. "So all this was for was measuring power! pfsh!"

Naruto watched as Saratobi blew out of his pipe. "Not quite, but you will learn in time..." Saratobi was interrupted by a man.

"Hokage-sama... As proctor of the third exam, may i continue?" Saratobi nodded and stepped back. "I am Gekko Hayate. Procter of the *cough*third exam. Due to the fact that there is*cough* still too many of you for the final exam, you all will be faced*cough* with a preliminary battle."

"What! A preliminary! Not cool!"

"Kankuro shut up you're a embarrassment to the sand." Kankuro scowled being ordered by Gaara all time was a pain.

"Yes a preliminary. You will fight in battles*cough**cough* one on one. No teams. The match will be concluded if one surrenders, unable to fight, unconscious, or dead. The only other time a battle will end *cough**cough*is if i decide a battle is over, and i will jump in. The screen to my *cough* right will chose matches at random. Let the first match begin after the*cough* choosing of the genin."

Everyone watched as the screen go through scribbles of letters as it decided who to choose to fight.

zfjdfhjsafhsljhfdasaieakfmieeieirebelejrnbabjlfw... And so on. gibberish until...

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado


	16. Chunin exams part 10: Prelimaries

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> First 3 battles of the preliminaries.

Uchiha Sasuke vs. Yoroi Akado

"Will everyone but Uchiha Sasuke and Yoroi Akado go up to the *cough* balcony?" Everyone walked towards the stairs. Sand and Leaf on one balcony, rock, rain, mist, waterfall, on the other balcony. "Alright*cough* Any objections from the two percipient?" Both Sasuke and Akado should their heads. "Very well. Let the first match... Begin!" Hayate waved his hand down and took a few steps back.

The two immediately started battling. Sasuke sent a few punches towards the half masked man, but his fists we caught. He squirmed to be free, but couldn't move. Sasuke immediately felt extremely weak and fell to the ground. "Yes that's right..." Sasuke looked up at his opponent bewildered. He had pretty much read his mind and answered his question! "I steal you're strength..." Sasuke slowly got up, but the second problem was, the curse mark on his neck. It was spreading throughout his body like a plague. Sasuke did his best to hold it off, but couldn't very well while being threatened.

Sasuke struggled under the unsuspecting Akado and kicked him into the air. Sasuke could here gasps from team nine, as well as his own. The reason? Sasuke had copied Lee's move with his sharingan. While he jumped into the air, he decided it would be the best time to wear off the curse mark. He focused on retreating the curse mark. When it was gone, he kicked his opponent in the stomach. In which, sent Akado slamming into the ground. "Lion's barrage!" Hayate went to see if Akado was still alive. He checked his pulse, there was none. Akado was dead. The medics came and put Akado on the bed and left Sasuke and the rest in the arena.

"Uchiha Sasuke is the winner!"

Gaara smirked from above, his prey still showed little strength. Team 7 erupted in cheers for Sasuke as he walked up the stairs. "Sasuke," Karachi said dryly. "We need to seal that curse mark of yours." Sasuke nodded and walked of with Kakashi, leaving a clone.

"So, Kakashi-sensei, who do you think will be battling next?"

Kakashi looked and Naruto and sighed. " You know i don't have the answer the that, Naruto."

Kakashi turned his gaze to the board and watched it go through it's gibberish. Finally names were picked. Abumi Zaku vs. Abrame Shino.

"May Zaku and Shino step down?"

Zaku smirked and jumped down from the balcony, while Shino just walked down the stairs. "You might want to back down, bug-boy!"

Shino just rolled his eyes behind his glasses. "No, you'll be the one regretting not backing down." Zaku just smirked.

Hayate just looked between the two. "So no *cough* objections?" Both just stood still. "Begin!" Hayate backed up.

Shino immediately sent bugs into the ground to lore Zaku into a trap. "You're a long rang fighter aren't you?" asked Zaku, however it wasn't much of a question. More of a statement.

"What's it to you?" Zaku smirked and released his arm from its sling.

Sakura gasped from the crowed. "It wasn't really broken!"

"That's right little pinkete." Zaku stretched his arm out towards Shino, but he didn't fear. "Back down or else."

Shino just stood there. Unworried. "No. You see, you're down for. There is a army for bugs behind you, and there is me in front..."

"You think a bunch of bugs will stop me? Ha you're so stupid!"

Naruto

Naruto looked down watching the battle.

"You think a bunch of bugs will stop me? Ha! you're so stupid!" Naruto just stood there watching.

"Man i feel sorry for Shino. That guy's pretty strong," murmured Naruto, still watching the fight.

"Hah! Nah Shino's got this. Out of anyone here, the one person i wouldn't dare fighting is that guy..."

Naruto looked at Kiba bewildered. "Really?" Kiba nodded and continued watching the fight.

Zaku had both of his arms facing Shino, and Shino's army of parasitic chakra eating bugs. "How about this then!" Zaku started sending out his attack, but not a thing happened. After a minute, Zaku's arms were getting fatter and fatter by the second until...

*BANG!*

Zaku started screaming in agony as his arms were blown off. Then he fainted, and the medics picked him up.

"Abrame Shino is the winner."

Naruto looked in shock at Shino. "What the hell happened!"

This time Neji spoke up. "He put bugs in his air tubes. Chakra going out, vs the chakra getting pushed back by the bugs equal exploding arms... Just what is that guy?" Neji activated his byakugan and looked at Shino as he walked by and just stared in horror.

"What is it, Neji," Gai spoke up.

"H-his entire body is infested with bugs..."

"Bugs?" Naruto gaped in disgust. Neji nodded and walked away.

"Will the next two *cough* contestants come down," Hayate spoke between coughs once more. Naruto looked to the board. 

Kankuro and Misumi Tsurugi jumped down, both exited for the battle. Both stood in front of Hayate for permission to begin. Hayate looked at both and waved his hand towards the ground, signaling for them to start. Kankuro skidded back and started to control ant with chakra strings. Mitsumi just shrugged and dodged the attacks of poisoned sebons thrown at him from the puppet. Mitsumi kept dodging, making his away closer to the puppet so he could destroy the puppet.

Naruto watched at the puppet was destroyed, knowing that it would be a problem for Kankuro, but Naruto didn't really care. After all, his team had almost killed Sakura and Sasuke. Suddenly Mitsumi threw a kunai straight for Kankuro's neck. Kankuro didn't move and just stood there as the kunai and Misumi drew closer. The kunai hit Kankuro's neck, but it didn't bleed. Kankuro just walked forward and grabbed the stunned Mitsumi.

"W-what are y-you," stuttered out Misumi.

Kankuro smirked as the wrap behind him unraveled. Revealing the real Kankuro. "A puppet master." Kankuro took off the head and the legs and arms of with chakra and threw Misumi into the puppet. "Good game, loser." The appendages unfolded to reveal sharp knives built into the puppet, poison dripping off them. Everyone but the sand and sound teams gasp[ed as the knives threw themselves into the puppet, stabbing Kankuro's opponent to death with a bloody scream.

Hayate looked at Kankuro disgusted "Kankuro no Subaku is the winner...".


	17. Chunin exams part 11: Squabbles

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Battles of the preliminary.

"Will Haruno Sakura and Kegon step down?"

Sakura looked to the waterfall ninja next to Fu. "Naruto, do you really think i can do this?" Naruto nodded and gave her his signature smile.

Suddenly a voice from the other balcony spoke up. "I forfeit."

Hayate looked at his clip board and nodded. "Well then will Yamanaka Ino and Yoro step down."

"I forfeit too."

Hayate sighed and marked both Kegon and Yoro for forfeit. "Alright anymore forfeits?" Hayate looked around and so no one raise their hand. Hayate nodded and watched the board go though its scramble of letters once more. "Well then will Tenten and Subaku no Temari please come down?"

Temari jumped over the railing and floated down on her fan as Tenten jumped down. "Good luck my faithful student!" Naruto and his team just looked at the sensei they'd learned who's name was Gai. Kakashi's clone i just continued reading his book

"You may begin."

Temari just smirked. "By the time you see three stars, you're done for." Tenten just ignored her and took out her scrolls , jumping in the air ans she summoned her weapons. Fifty shuriken flew towards Termari who blocked them wish her fan. Tenten just looked dumbfounded. Never had she once missed her target since she learned how to throw and summon her weapons. She tried again but with Kunai. Once again. Termari used her fan to block them, standing in the middle of the floor that was littered with weapons. Tenten was still utterly confused, but she saw something different. Now there was not only one purple star on the blond girl's hair, but two stars.

"You're a difficult opponent. I'll give you that, sand kunoichi." Gai and Lee just looked at Tenten with tears in their eyes.

"What a youthful statement Tenten!" shouted Lee.

Gai looked at Lee and have him a dramatic, yet awkward hug. In Naruto and Sakura's opinion at least. "Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

"Lee!"

"Gai-sensei!"

By now both were bawling their eyes out. Tenten heard them from the ground and rolled her eyes mentally at her hyperactive teammate and her awkwardly weird sensei.

However what Tenten didn't notice was that Temari now had three stars showing and had gone above Tenten now, waiting for her to notice. Tenten finally looked back at her opponent only to see that she wasn't there. Tenten looked around frantically before looking above to see Temari waving her fan at her.

"Too late! Wind release, slicing winds!" Termari said as the fan pushed her up from waving it down at Tenten. She landed next to her brothers.

Tenten had large gashes in her arms and legs. The medics took her away immediately to take care of the wounds.

"The winner is Subaku no Temari." Hayate looked at the board. It has already chosen another set of contestants. "Will Nara Shikamaru and Kin step down." Everyone knew that it wasn't a question anymore. More like a order.

Naruto sighed. He wasn't it in battle yet, and he knew this would be a long match if Shikamaru was in it. Probably. Kakashi looked at is blond student. " Something wrong, Naruto?"

Naruto looked up to his sensei's clone. It was so much like him! Of course it is Baka. He's a shadow clone. "Yea Kakashi-sensei. Just hoping these battles will end soon." Kakashi smirked.

"I felt the same way when i was your age, Naruto." Naruto nodded and looked to the battle.

Shikamaru had caught Kin in his shadow. "You're done for, Oto-nin." Shikamaru took out a kunai, while he made Kin do the same thing.

Kin smirked. "If you do this, we'll both die." Shikamaru threw the kunai. When the kunai was 5 inches from his face, he bent back. "I knew you w-" Kin's head hit the wall, knocking her out.

Naruto gaped. "His battles are never that short!" Sakura and Kakashi chuckled.

"The winner is Nara Shikamaru."

Naruto looked towards the board, watching it go through its gibberish.

lsdnaljnflejbnfljwebflwen. Then finally, two new names appeared on the screen once more. Uzumaki Naruto vs. Inuzuka Kiba

"Finally!" shouted Naruto. Kiba looked at him and smirked.

"Looks like we got the easy one, Akamaru. Akamaru barked in agreement.

Kuranai turned towards Kakashi. "Sorry Kakashi, but there's no way Naruto can beat Kiba."

Kakashi laughed. "You just wait, Kuranai." Kuranai's eyes widened. Kakashi never said that unless he was 100% sure about something.

Hayate waved his hand downwards. "Begin."

Naruto just stood there, while Kiba fed Akamaru a food pill. Akamaru immediately turned red and grew in side a little bit. When Kiba turned to Naruto, he formed hundreds of shadow clones, and had one by Kakashi sit down and start collecting Nature energy for sage mode. Minato had taught him this trick. Only thing though was that you normally needed a summoning contract, so it was a little harder for Naruto, then for Minato or anyone else who knew of sage mode.

flashback

"Why can't i use you're summoning contract, Minato?" Naruto said looking at his Uncle confused.

Minato chuckled and scratched the back of his head nervously. "My sensei has that... If he was here you would be able to..."

"Oh..." Naruto said, going back to practicing.

"Naruto..." Naruto looked up at Minato. "How did you find out that you were the Jinchuriki of the nine-tails?" Naruto bit his lip, and it soon started to bleed.

"I was tricked... In the academy, i couldn't do the clone justu because i had too much Chakra..."

"didn't you see the scrolls i gave you?"

Naruto shook his head. "I didn't get that far into the scrolls yet so i didn't see the shadow clone justu then..." Minato nodded. " Anyway. I failed the academy exam to become a ninja. Mizuki-sensei tricked me into stealing the scroll, saying if i got it for him, he'd pass me and make me a genin..."

Minato's eyes widened. He'd never thought Mizuki would do something like that. "Cursed, Mizuki!"

"And so i went into the tower and got the scroll from Jiji-Hokage. When he found out, after Mizuki alerted the entire shinobi force, Jiji sent everyone looking for me. Iruka-sensei found me when i just finished practicing shadow clones," Naruto paused and looked at his uncle. "Then Mizuki-sensei appeared and threw shuriken at Iruka-sensei. Then he threw a larger one at me, and Iruka blocked it by jumping in front of it. Then Mizuki told me... Then i defeated Mizuki-sensei with shadow clones... That's how i found out..." Minato nodded and hugged Naruto.

End flashback

Naruto left the room by crawling on the floor by the shadow clones, blocking his exit. He went to get some popcorn. He was pretty hungry. Plus he wanted to wear Kiba out and then attack.

15 minutes later

Naruto walked back to the arena, while his clones summoned another hundred clones each to let him back in, unnoticed. Naruto looked at Kiba and saw how many scraps he had. As well as blood running from his nose and lip. "I won't give up!"

Naruto chuckled and dispersed his clones, regaining the remaining memories of the ones that hadn't already. His eyes were covered in orange rings, and his eyes were slits. "Give it up, Kiba, you're done. You said you'll take my place in Hokage, but you can't defeat me, the class clown." Naruto punched the ground sending pieces of stone into the air, destroying some of the room. Kiba gaped, and Akamaru fell over due to exhaustion. Naruto did a leaf shushin behind Kiba and punched him in the head, knocking him out.

"Uzumaki Naruto wins," Hayate spoke. Then his coughing started to act up once more. "Will Fu and Kabuto *cough* please step down?"

"I resign."

Hayate glared at Kabuto. "I had previously asked if anyone else wanted to quit. Yet here you are doing exactly what i was trying to avoid, why?"

"That was before i knew who my opponent was," said the silver haired man.

Hayate sighed. "I wont allow you to resign so will you both step down?"

Kabuto sighed and jumped down, Fu following by flight. "i refuse to fight."

"begin."

Fu and Kabuto just stood there looking at each other. 'Do it Fu, knock him out he said that he wouldn't fight anyway,' spoke Yoro though telepathy. And Fu did exactly that by punching Kabuto to the head.

'You could at least use a justu to do that so it would be at least slightly cooler,' responded Kegon.

Fu flew back up to her chunin team members. 'what's done is done, and i want friends.'

"The winner is Fu."

Hayate nodded to Anko. "This is the seventh time he's tried to drop out..."

Naruto looked at Fu's team. They were so quiet... he wondered why...

"I don't wanna fight this round!"  
Neji, who hadn't fought yet, and Gai looked at Lee. "Really?"

"Will Subaku no Gaara and Rock lee step down?"


	18. Realization

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto learns the truth after the last few battles.

Minato lay on the couch looking through the bingo book, making a list of possible people who'd target him or his son if they found that he was alive. He worried about Naruto. Minato knew that he'd pass the chunin exams, but something was nagging Minato. Like something bad would soon be happening... but what?

In the chunin exam arena

"Will Subaku no Gaara and Rock Lee step down?"

"Yea!"

Gai just looked at Lee. "I thought you said you didn't want to battle this round, Lee."  
"Actually, I wanted to fight, but the board doesn't want me too, so if i said i didn't, the board would pick me!"  
"Such a Youthful trick, Lee!" shouted Gai as he hugged his student. Then Lee jumped down and Gaara followed.

"Begin."

Gaara just stood there as Lee dashed behind him. Lee punched Gaara. However, he didn't meet flesh, his fist met a sand wall. Gaara's ultimate defense. "Its worthless. I'll dispose of you right now."  
Lee's eyes widened, but then looked to Gai-sensei. He nodded. Lee vanished, only to reappear on top of the hand sign statue. Lee bent down and clipped the weights weights off.

Termari smirked. "What is taking off puny weights gonna do?"  
"They're probably just for show. I bet they don't way alot."

Lee dropped the weights. Two huge piles of dust rose up to the ceiling as the 'CRASH' sounded. When the just cleared, the weights were at least ten feet into the ground. Everyone but Neji and Gai gaped, while Tenten would've smirked, but she wasn't there.

"H-how heavy were those weights..." Termari was bewildered.

"One ton," responded Gai casually, before ranting on about 'youth'.

"You're speed will do nothing to help you."

Lee appeared behind Gaara in a green blur. Sakura didn't even see him move. Then, Lee punched Gaara. Gaara didn't move until he fell to the ground from the punch. 'What the hell happened, mother.' thought Gaara as he spoke to his demon who he called 'mother'.

The Gaara's siblings and Baki stared down at Gaara. He was bad. Really bad. Not only that, but he was angry. He wanted revenge. "D-did..." Temari trailed off as Gaara stood up.

"No way!" Kankuro leaned into the rails. 

Baki nodded. "That boy actually managed it hit Gaara."

Kankuro and Termari couldn't believe their ears. Yes, they had saw it. Yes they had agreed that Lee had hit Gaara. Hearing out however, confirming it, was a whole different story.

Lee slid under Gaara, whose sand armor was falling off, and kicked him into the air. "Konoha Leave Hurricane!"

A minute later, as Lee kicked Gaara to the ground, Gaara made a pile of sand to aid him from being injured anymore then he was. Physically that was. Emotionally, Gaara was insane. Lee would have been shocked if not for the fact that this was the second time that someone had countered his attack.

"Gate of opening... Open!"

Kakashi's eyes widened. "Gai... did you seriously teach him that?"

"I sure did my eternal rival! And we're tired on that bet of ours."

Kakashi rose his eyebrow. "How do you know that. Two of my students have won, while two of you're students have lost."

"Lost?" Gai started laughing. "Lee and Neji won't loose," Gai continued. He soon realized Kakashi's face was serious though.

"The winn-"

Gaara continued to send sand at Lee who was unconscious. "Mother wants your blood..."  
"Gaara don't!" screamed Temari.

Gai jumped in front of Gaara's sand and blocked it, while Kakashi's clone restrained Gaara. "The winner is Subaku no Gaara," Hayate spoke slowly, careful not to distress the boy. Gaara tried to wiggle out of Kakashi's grip, but couldn't. So he send sand at Gai and Lee once more. "Gaara," spoke Kakashi. "If you continue to attack after the match is over, you'll be disqualified.

Gaara sighed as he stopped the sand. Kakashi's clone let go and let Gaara go back up to the stands as the medics took Lee away.

Kakashi/ Sasuke

Kakashi had just finished writing out all the seals around the curse mark to prevent it from messing with Sasuke again.

"Alright Sasuke you ready?" Sasuke nodded in response. "Alright... This is gonna hurt." Kakashi made a few hand signs before slamming his palm on the back of Sasuke's shoulder as he muttered "Sealing justu..."

Sasuke screamed as the seal lit up and each strand of symbols in the seal got pulled into the center around his curse mark. When it was over, Sasuke and Kakashi heard a few claps, followed by foot steps in the darkness.

"Very good Kakashi."

Kakashi's eyes widened as he heard the voice and spun around. "Why are you here?"

Orochimaru stepped into the light and smiled. "You're no seal master like Jiraiya or your sensei..."

"That'a not an answer, Orochimaru. Why are you here?"

"You know the reason."

Kakashi removed a few shuriken from his pouch and threw them at Orochimaru. "Sasuke, you rest." Sasuke only groaned in response.

However, as the shuriken approached Orochimaru, he just shushined away, leaving Kakashi and Sasuke alone in the room.

Hinata

Hinata was scared. Why? She was facing a person who'd hated her since he turned four. Hyuga Neji, her older cousin.

"Will Both Hyuga Hinata and Hyuga Neji step down?"

Neji started walking down as he glared at Hinata. 'I can't do this...' Hinata was about to back out when she heard Naruto's voice.

"Go get him, Hinata!"

Hinata blushed like a tomato and walked down.

"Begin."

"Lady Hinata, I wouldn't like to damage your frail structure. Please, forfeit."

"No. No Big brother Neji. I won't back down."  
"Very well..."  
Hayate looked between the two Hyuga. "Are you now ready?" Hinata went into her family fighting style while Neji did the same. "Well... Begin."

Hinata charged at Neji attempting to strike one of his chakra points. Byakugan activated.

Neji however, matched her move for move. And when he saw his chance, he took it. Neji rushed towards Hinata as she regained balance and started pressing her chakra points. All of them. "1 palm, 2 palms, 4 palms, 8 palms, 16 palms, 32 palms, 64 palms!" Neji shouted as he finished pressing Hinata's chakra points.

Hinata fell on the floor, scraping the little skin that showed. Hinata tried to get up, but couldn't very easily as she coughed up some blood.

"Come on Hinata-chan!" Naruto cried as he cheered for her. Hinata smiled an forced herself back up slowly.

"Give it up Lady Hinata. You are no match for me, and your father will be displeased with me if i hurt you too much..."

Hinata finally was able to full stand back up before rushing to Neji. "No... I will not give up... I want to change... I'm weak... I'm a coward... But i can change who I am..."  
Neji just scoffed at his younger cousin's response. " You can't become strong... your fate has already been decided."

"No Neji-nii-san. I won't give up just because you are obsessed with fate. I want to change. So i can become strong for the person I most admire..." Hinata blushed tomato red as she mentioned her 'most admired person'.

"Hmph. Very well, Mistress. Face my wraith." Neji charged at her as she tried to hit him once more, however, it was still useless. Neji started spinning, as he created a chakra shield that went around him 365 degrees, above, below, and every side of him. The chakra shield hit Hinata, and caused her to fly backwards into a wall. Blood trickled down her forehead, as she went into unconsciousness.

"The winner is Hyuga Neji."

Earlier, Naruto

Naruto looked at Neji and Hinata. "So those two are brother and... sister?"

Gai shook his head as he looked at the two Hyuga. "Neji is Hinata-sama's older cousin."

Naruto nodded. "He seems so cold..."

"That's because he normally is cold. Not only to Hinata-san, but Lee, Tenten, and many others of the Hyuga clan. He holds a grudge."  
"A grudge you say, huh." Sakura looked at Kakashi's clone.

"It's true, Sakura. Although I can't tell you about the grudge because, its Hyuga clan matters only."

Present

"Will Kinuta Dosu and Akimichi Choji step down?"

"Finally, it's my turn..."

Dosu and Choji walked down and stood in front of Hayate. "Let the final match... Begin!" Hayate stepped back and the two began to fight.

"Partial Expansion Justu!" Choji shouted as his arm grew larger then his body. Choji grabbed Dosu and threw him against the wall.

This dazed Dosu, but it never lasted more then a second. Dosu was about to launch a sound Justu when a spiky human bolder came rolling over to him. He didn't have time to finish his Justu, and so he just settled for jumping onto the railings above while the 'boulder' hit the wall.

Dosu was half expecting Choji to get back up, but when he looked down, Choji's Justu had expired to the pain of the rock wall. Dosu smirked. "That wasn't even a warm up..."

Dosu looked at Hayate and nodded. "The winner is Kinuta Dosu."

Naruto

Kakashi walked back into the room where everyone gathered anything they left on the floor before following their sensei's. Sasuke soon followed. He dispelled his clone by his other two students, startling Sakura, but not Naruto. "You guys ready to go home?"

"Oh yea!"

Kakashi nodded as he lead his team out of the tower into the forest to see snow on the ground. Naruto looked up and saw it was well into the night, probably around eleven. Snow was also falling, steadily making the snow deeper.

"It's so beautiful!"

Naruto just nodded in agreement. Naruto looked at other teams as they shivered in the cold. He didn't blame them. Especially the sand ninja. After all, they lived in a desert, where there was no such thing as snow, and barely any rain.

"Alright, I'm going home now. I'll see you at practice in three days." As Kakashi spoke, the air coming from his mouth created a mist cloud before fading off. Making Kakashi's mask damp.

Naruto pouted. "You're leaving already?" Naruto looked at the gate in front of him, then turned back to Kakashi. However, he had already vanished away.

Team seven started splitting off, each member heading home. "Bye Sasuke-kun!"

Naruto looked back to Sakura before responding, even if she wasn't talking to him. "Bye."

As Naruto walked home he watched the snowflakes fall from the sky. They sparkles with the reflection of the moon shining on them. He had to agree. Sakura was definitely right. It was beautiful. Naruto looked at the villagers who were busy in putting up Christmas lights. Naruto decided to take a small detour home. He felt as he needed it.

Naruto climbs up to the top of the Hokage Monument and lay on his father's head. He was so relaxed. So calm. The wind blew his hair in his face, as well as a few snowflakes. The air was cold, but it smelt clean, fresh. He looked at the village lights, and then moved his eyes to the stars. Blue. The same color as his eyes. They were blue. Clouds were still covering most of the sky, but the clouds were thin. More like mist, and see through they were. The moon reflected it's light on the ground, causing the snow light up. Beautiful.

Naruto heard a few crunches in the snow, as is someone was walking towards him. Naruto turned his head to look behind him. Minato stood there in a jonin uniform. "Hey kiddo."

"Hey Minato..."

"Tired?"  
Naruto just nodded in response, looking at the stars. "Did old man make you a jonin?"

Minato nodded. "Naruto..." Tears started rolling down Minato's face.

Naruto looked at Minato confused. "You OK?"

"Naruto, I'm so sorry... I lied..."  
"I know... But about what?"  
"I lied to you for so long... I don't even deserve to be near you... You don't have a uncle, Naruto..." Naruto's eyes widened in shock, but continued to listen. "I am related to you, yes... but I'm the one responsible for your childhood." More tears ran down Minato's face.

"I sealed the Kyuubi into you, Naruto. Your father's name is Namikaze Minato, while your mother's, Uzumaki Kushina... I'm the Yellow Flash, Naruto... The Yondaime Hokage... Naruto, I'm so sorry I lied to you... I'm your father..."

Naruto didn't know what to do. Naruto wanted to hug him, but he had lied... Naruto was shocked. For years, Naruto had thought that the man was a friend, but all along he had lied to his own son! "I-I... I hate you."


	19. Fear

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Minato ponders what will happen in the future.

"I-I... I hate you."

Minato's eyes widened at that. More tears slowly fell down his face silently. He'd been expecting anger... But never this much. Minato looked in his son's eyes. Hatred was surely in his son's eyes. He didn't want that feeling from his own son. It was like loosing Kushina and leaving Naruto all over again. But this time around, it would be Naruto leaving him. "Naruto..." Minato's voice was nothing more than a mere whisper. "Please..." Minato continued. "Don't hate-"

Naruto cut him off. "You lied to me! For years, you lied to me! There is no exception to that!" Naruto was angry. Very angry.

"I know..." Minato's voice trembled.  
"Do you? Do you really?" Naruto spat. "You left me until I was five! Five! You probably never believed in me. No, you never believed in me! All you wanted was for the villagers to hate me for what I am! Who I am!" Minato just listened to his son's ramblings. He'd never believed anything that his son was saying. However, he felt has he had no right to interrupt Naruto. "Your probably the reason mom died and I grew up alone!"

That was it. That triggered Minato's anger to fully erupt.

*Slap*

Naruto's face turned to the side with a red mark on his cheek. No one had ever slapped him like that. It scared him, but it also angered him. He was so confused...

"Don't ever say those things again..." A few tears slid down Naruto's face as Minato spoke. "You have no idea who your mother and I was dealing with or what happened. I love you, Naruto. I couldn't bare to loose you! Do you know what would happen if you died, or if something happened to you? I'd go on a damn rampage!"

"Yea right..." Naruto slowly turned his face towards his father. "Damn you, Yondaime Hokage! I want you out of my house! I never want to see your face again." Naruto started to walk away, tears hitting the ground. He paused, looking back. "You might was well leave the village... I was better off without you." With that, Naruto walked away.

Minato

"I was better of without you."

At those words, Minato crumpled on his stone face on the mountain. He'd just lost the most important thing to him, and it wouldn't be easy if not impossible to get it back. The snow started falling thicker onto the earth, but Minato didn't bother to move. The tears just kept rolling down his face. Lights flickered of in the village, indicating that the citizens of Konoha were going to sleep.

"Hey sensei..."

Minato didn't move. He didn't bother to look up. He already knew who it was. After all, Kakashi was the only one who called him sensei anymore.

"I saw Naruto on my way home... Said hi but he just ignored me..." Kakashi sat down next to Minato and looked out towards the village with him. "He seemed pretty upset. Something happen?"  
Minato didn't respond. He couldn't.

"You know... After your apparent 'death' I thought I'd never get you back..." Minato turned his face towards Kakashi, another tear leaving his eye. Kakashi saw the hurt in his azul colored eyes. His cheeks tear stained. "I was always focused on rules... But after you left, I had lost everyone important to me. I started becoming three hours late to everything except for missions... I became a ANBU as well. I threw away all my emotions. Not that i showed them much before."

Minato just chuckled, but his face still stained with pain. He leaned back against a hair spike on his head. There were no lights on in the village that either Kakashi or Minato could see.

"He'll come around eventually, Minato-sensei."  
Minato closed his eyes, letting a few more tears slip though his eyelids. "What if he doesn't, Kakashi..." Minato spoke in a hushed trembling whisper.

"I know he will. I've known Naruto for a long time. Longer then Naruto realizes. When i was still in ANBU, i watched over Naruto. He has such a kind heart like you and Kushina. He works so hard for things that he needs to be accomplished, or what he believes in."

Minato nodded. "I know. Watching him grow up, to train..." Kakashi chuckled.

"He wants to become Hokage you know. Just like you and Kushina-san." Kakashi just got up to leave when Minato grabbed his wrist.

"Kakashi..." He looked his student in the eyes. "Thanks, for everything... Arigato."

Kakashi nodded and left. Minato turned his eyes back to the village. The clouds had finally cleared, letting the moon and stars shine in the cold, black night sky. The snow illuminated the cold snow around him. It was the night sky's nightlight for now. For Minato. And with that, Minato fell asleep in the snow, one last tear leaving that eye for the night. More would soon come with days just as hard, and Minato knew that. I love you so much, Naruto... Son...

Naruto

Naruto ran. He ran from his father, ran from Konoha, from everyone. He couldn't take it anymore. His father lied to him all along, and he didn't even know it! Naruto ran past Konoha's gates, past hundreds of trees. Everything he passed was just a blur. When Naruto stopped, he was tired. Naruto looked around, noticing he was on a hill. Naruto jumped onto the ground, almost falling on the steep ground. Naruto knew it wasn't that steep, but he was just so tired of lies, of beatings, of everything. Which caused him to fail at focusing. Damn it!

Naruto walked forward in the sparking snow under trees, each step causing the snow to crunch. Within ten minutes of walking, Naruto came across a village. Lights were on, but not many, Mostly just a few shops and hotels. Might as well stay here for a few days.

He rushed down the hill, almost loosing his balance multiple times due to rocks under the snow or a few logs. When he had finally managed to finish climbing down the hill, he found a pathway leading into the town. The path was covered in snow, but had a few foot prints heading in or out. They were fresh too. Naruto walked into town, feeling hungry. He walked up to the nearest food booth.

"Hey, can I get a few dumplings?" The brown-haired waiter nodded and wrote his order down.

"Anything else sir?"asked the waiter, blushing as she looked at him. Naruto just shook his head before the waiter left to fetch the dumplings. He looked around, seeing there were only two other people in the booth. They were wearing black cloaks with red clouds on them, out lined with white.

"Such a interesting uniform you guys have there... You part of a organization here or something?"

The one closest to him just looked at him. He had a Kiri headband on with a line through the middle of it. That wasn't what mainly caught his attention, however. It was his skin. His skin was blue, and his face had markings on them, similar to his own, but below the eyes. Damn, freaky people.

"Not exactly. We're from a organization called the Akastuki."

"Kisime shut up."

"The Akastuki? What's that?"  
"An organization where we capture tailed beas-"

"Kisime!" The second one shouted.

"What, Itachi."

Itachi was now facing towards Naruto. Naruto examined Itachi, noticing his black eyes, black hair, and necklace. So they wanna capture tailed beasts... Naruto was panicked , but he didn't show it. Why the hell does he remind me so much of Sasuke-teme!? Then Naruto saw hit headband. A Konoha symbol, with a line through it. "You're missing ninja, aren't you." Kisime was the first to respond by nodding.

Itachi however spoke. "We are indeed, Uzumaki Naruto."

Shoot, he knows my name... First my father lies to me and now I run in with Missing ninja. What the heck!

"Here you are, sir." The waiter spoke as she placed the dumplings in front of him.

"T-thanks!" Naruto grabbed the two sticks of dumplings, before slamming money on the table and rushing out before the waiter even had a chance to turn around and walk away.

Naruto ran for about Two miles straight, going deeper and deeper into the village. This of course barely took anytime with using chakra and running on rooftops. Naruto looked behind him to see no one following. He jumped down, panting. Villagers around him just stared. They weren't the hateful stares that he were used to seeing. Just... confused. "Sorry for the interruption guys... Carry on with your lives!"

That just made the villagers more confused, but they just shrugged it off and began walking around again. Naruto also noted that this part of the town was much more populated, and more lively. He walked looking for a hotel. It didn't take long to find one. He walked up to the front desk and smiled. "Room for one please."

They lady working the desk nodded and handed him a sign in sheet. Naruto signed his name before adding the date, and the amount of days he would be staying. "Room 291. Here are your keys, sir."

Naruto nodded, giving her a fake smile and taking the keys. He walked into the hallways, heading towards his room. The walls were red with black flowers painted on. While the floor was just plain oak wood. When he found his room, he unlocked it before entering and turning on the lights. The room was blue with a tree in the corner. A large window in the back of the room that lead out to a balcony. He quickly closed the black curtains before jumping onto the stripped orange and white bed to sleep.

Two hours later.

Naruto hadn't gotten one ounce of sleep since he curled up into the bed. So he ended up just thinking about the day. He'd passed both the second round of the chunin exams and the preliminaries. But he couldn't even think about what had happened after. He had told his father he hated him and that he should have left the village. Naruto felt a pang of guilt in his stomach. He always had wanted a family, and had only received one very recently. But Naruto no longer thought of Minato as family anymore. Not after lying to him for months, years. He understood, but he couldn't bring himself to feel all that sorry for kicking the man either.

Naruto didn't hate the man. No not at all. Kyuubi often told Naruto that he was immune to hating others. He had kicked Minato out, and told him he hated him, but he didn't hate him. He just didn't want Minato in his life. Not anymore.

Itachi

"What was that all about?"

Itachi looked to his partner. "Kisime, did you not see his headband?"  
Kisime shrugged. "Yeah, he was from the leaf, so what." Then realization hit Kisime, and his face turned to surprise. "He's the Kyuubi jinchuriki, isn't he."  
Itachi sighed before nodding. "We can catch up to him tomorrow."

Kisime just looked at him, blinking. "Wouldn't he head back to the Konoha though?"

"He went the wrong way. You really need to sleep more. You're never such a baka."

Kisime just sighed and stood up, Itachi following. " We should go and find him to make our day easier tomorrow then."

"First thing logical you've said all evening." Itachi slapped some money on the table before starting to walk through the town. He made a few shadow clones and split them up to look at the hotels. "But lets just get some sleep. My clones can do the work."


	20. acceptance

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Naruto runs, while thinking about how he treated his father since i found out.

"words": Naruto talking when using/being in kyuubi form. 

The sun shined through tiny gap in the closed curtains in Naruto's room, onto Naruto's face. Naruto slowly blinked his eyes open before looking at the time. 7 a.m. Naruto groaned. Rolling over on this side facing away from the window, Naruto tried going to sleep again, with no avail. Sounds of doors closing disturbed Naruto. Naruto opened his eyes giving up. He sat up to find a clean room in front of him. A painting of the hokage mountain in the leaf village. Weird, didn't notice that before...

Naruto sat up, noting that he had slept in his clothes. He sighed, before grabbing his wallet and keys, walking out the door. He was going to go clothes shopping. One of many things he hated. Now if someone was reading his life story right now, Naruto was sure they would be thinking if he hated clothes shopping, why was he going? Well for three main reasons. One, villagers around him would find it weird he was wearing the same clothes. Two, the missing ninja may find him. And three, his clothes were messed up from the chunin exams so far.

He finally made his way out of the hotel and walked out onto the streets. His sun kissed hair blinded his face with the sun shining so bright in the morning. The chirps of birds could be heard from a mile away. Their so loud here! Naruto continued walking down the street looking at shop windows. One shop had posters of famous people and of sights in Konohagakure, while other's had food, furniture, etc.

Naruto walked for a good half hour heading south as people busily rushed by him or got food with their sons or daughters. Soon Naruto had found a shop called route 13, attire, shinobi and civilian clothing. Naruto looked in the shop window to find clothes inside. He pushed open a door that caused a little silver bell attached to the door to jingle. A long brown haired girl looked up from folding clothes.

"Welcome," she said sweetly as she smiled. "Anything i can help you with, handsome?"

Naruto's eye flinched. He could tell that the civilian girl had a crush on him. He didn't want that, he was too fed up with things at the moment. "Can you show me to the shinobi gear is? I'm new here."

The girls eyes just widened before she looked at him. "Certainly, follow me." The girl walked to the back of the store before showing him to a back room with shinobi gear. Blank headbands, Kunai, shuriken, pouches, and clothes. There were multiple other weapons and ninja gear, that couldn't name so he just chose to ignore them until he was done getting clothes. "Changing rooms are in the back." With that the girl walked out of the room.

Naruto had this suspicion that she was watching from the other room, however. He walked towards the pants. There were blue long ninja sweats, tan shorts, but to his dismay, nothing with orange. He continued looking, swiping hangers to the side until he found black sweats with bright orange stripes on the sides. Not exactly what he wanted, but he grabbed it anyway after checking the size. He hung up the pants in the changing room before moving onto shirts. Blue, purple, green, red., gray, black... Naruto looked though the shirts. No orange. He sighed walking away, almost missing a long sleeve black shirt with the Uzumaki symbol on the back. Naruto smiled. He grabbed it walked into the changing room.

He slipped off his orange jacket and shirt, showing his gray ninja under armor. He looked at the shirt before slipping his arms through the shirt, and over his head. He examined himself in the mirror. Black suited him nicely. Next the pants. He took of the pants off the hanger, before slipping off his pants to hems matching jacket. Next he slipped on the black ninja sweats and put hooked hims ninja pouch onto the belt loop. Naruto unlocked the dressing room door and walking out, as the girl entered the room.

She blushed as she looked at him. She had to admit, he looked much more handsome in black then bright orange. She could see his lean muscles under the shirt, as it was tight to his skin, although blocked by the ninja armor underneath. "How much?"

She looked in his cerulean eyes before leading him to the counter. He followed her, and put down his old clothes and the counter and took out his wallet. "No need to pay, Ninja-san."

Naruto looked up from his frog wallet and looked at her. She just giggled before pointing to a wooden sign above her. 'No payment for ninja with exchanged clothes'. Naruto looked back at her confused. "How come?"  
"We take ninja clothes and repair them for other passing ninja. If they want to keep their clothes though, they have to pay."

Naruto nodded before handing her his orange jacket and pants, and tied his headband around his neck. He didn't feel like putting it back on his forehead anymore. Looked better on his neck anyway. Naruto was about to walk out the door when he noticed a three pronged kunai on the wall. He picked it up, then took out his own. They were identical, seals and everything. "Miss? May i ask where you got this kunai?"  
The brown haired girl ran up to him, looking at the kunai. "I believe it was given to us by the Konoha ninja... Told us it useless unless someone knew how to use the seals on them." The girl looked at the other kunai and gasped. "Are you the yellow flash?"

Naruto just scowled for a second remembering who the yellow flash was. "No. But my father is."

The girl just stood there. Silent. Then she began to speak. "Would you like me to see who gave it to us?"

"Please do."

The girl ran into the back, calling for her father and something about records about exchanges in kunai. A minute later, a man with white black hair and the girl reappeared. "Shinobi-san. I hear you have a interest in the kunai. Why?"  
"This kunai belonged to my father. I want to know how to use his justu."

The man raised a eye brow before looking at a piece of paper. "The Flying Thunder God kunai belonged to a man named Jiraya. I assume you know who he is, shinobi-san."

Naruto nodded. "Jiraya of the sanin, teacher of the yellow flash who was the Yondaime Hokage, who is also my father." Naruto responded slowly, a little venom in his mouth. He didn't want to get to know his father or anything, but Naruto felt that he would need another kunai soon. "When was the kunai dropped off?"  
The man shook his head. "The man didn't put a date. If i knew i'd told you by know, Honorable shinobi-san."

Naruto sighed. "No need to any honorifics. Most people hate me anyway." The brown haired girl gasped.

"Why?! You're the son of the Yondaime, you said so your self!"  
"I'd rather not say. Don't wanna give the demon any bad ideas." Naruto grabbed the kunai, payed for it, and walked out the door as he put it in his pouch before turning around. "What's your names?"  
"I'm Mamoru, and this is my daughter Aimi. And your's, Shinobi-san?"  
"Uzumaki, Naruto!" And with that, Naruto disappeared, leaving a pile of leaves on the ground.

Aimi

"Father? what did he mean by demon?"

"A jinchuriki."  
Aimi tilted her head. "J-jinchureki?"  
"No, Jinchuriki, with a I Aimi-chan. A host for a demon. In the hidden village of leaves about 10 miles from us has one for the Kyuubi. Uzumaki Naruto is that host. I hear rumors about him all the time about how he used to be a prankster." Mamoru looked at the clothing section of his exchange book before filling out what his client just traded. 'Orange jump suit, pants and jacket- Uzumaki Naruto, 11-21-2013.'

"Oh."  
Mamoru just chuckled.

"Father, were you ever a ninja?"

Mamoru looked at his daughter. "Yes, but i left the hidden leaves so i could start a family here. I'm glad i did."

Itachi

Itachi and Kisime watched as Naruto walked out of the clothing store and walked even farther away from his home village Konoha. "I wanna rip him apart with this sword..." Kisime spoke in a menacing tone.

"Wait till he is out of the village, Kisime. You'll attract too much unwanted attention. There are multiple passing ninja here."

Kisime just shrugged as they followed Naruto from the roof tops. After about a half hour Naruto had finally exited the village. The two S-rank shinobi jumped down from the roof tops, startling Naruto has they knocked him unconscious a second later. "Oh come on, Itachi! Where is my fun?"

Itachi rolled his eyes and Kisime picked up Naruto with his sword. They walked towards the akasuki hideout for about forty five minutes before sitting on a rock, taking Naruto off the sword. "Time to let leader-sama know."

Both Kisime and Itachi activated a justu allowing them to appear by pein and the rest of the akasuki members in a rainbow hologram. 'Mission complete, Itachi, Kisime?'

'Hai-leader-sama. Nine tail jinchuriki is captured. And to make thing easier, One tail and Seven tails was also in Konoha. However, we focused on achieving Nine tails.'

'Deidara, Sasori, go get one tails.' Kakazu, Hiden, mission complete?'

'Hai, two-tails captured, heading to the hideout as we speak.'

'Zestu, Tobi?'

'Still looking for a way to draw three tails out of its lake.'

'Hmm look into it more. Dismissed.'

Itachi and Kisime woke suddenly, to feel cold snow on them. "Great it's snowing again."  
"Kisime, nine-tails has run off."  
"What!"

Naruto's mind, after being knocked out

Naruto wondered the halls of his mind, walking the familiar path to the kyuubi's jail.

"What do you want, brat."

Naruto just shrugged as he sat by a bar that locked Kurama in. "Who are those people?"  
"Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisime. Members of S-rank criminal organization that wants to bring world peace by force called the Akasuki."

"Uchiha... He's a Uchiha? I thought Sasuke was the last Uchiha."

"No. There are two left other then Sasuke. Uchiha Madara and Uchiha Itachi. Madara is from the Shodai hokage's time, but is somehow immortal and took vengeance on his own clan. Uchiha Itachi, Sasuke's older brother, murdered the Uchiha clan along with Madara. The reason, I'm not sure."

Naruto's eyes widened, but he was also confused at the same time as he was shocked. "Unknown reason?"

"Yep. Only three people know the reason. Anyway, i'm almost done healing you, brat. When you awake, run like heck because those people want to kill you by extracting me out of your seal."

"Don't you want that though, Kyuubi?" Naruto sighed. He knew that's what exactly what he wanted.  
Or at least he thought.

"No. If they extract me, they will revive ten-tails. Now do as i say and run like heck!"

"Wait what's te-"  
"Ask questions later!"

Kurama shoved Naruto out of his mind and Naruto woke. He found Itachi and Kisime asleep on a stone, and so he took Kyuubi's advice and ran away, heading back towards the village.

Minato

Minato was worried. Naruto hadn't returned home last night and it was well into the afternoon.

Hey Kurama, what's up with my son?

"S-rank criminals. I'd go and help him, Minato."  
Minato didn't have to be told twice. If S-rank criminals were after Naruto, something was wrong. He activated his chakra, looking for the kunai he had given Naruto when he was younger. What he found however, was strange however. Two of his Kunai, only a few inches apart. Minato could only guess how Naruto got the second, but that wasn't his top priority. Helping Naruto whether he wanted it or not was. With a yellow flash, Minato landed next to Naruto, who was running ahead. Voices could be heard from behind him. He looked back to see Uchiha Itachi and Hoshigaki Kisime.

"Uchiha Itachi. Long time no see."  
"Yondaime-sama." Itachi's voice was calm.

"Itachi, what the heck do you mean 'Yondaime-sama'? The Yondaime Hokage is dead, remember?"  
"No Kisime, he's not. He never died."  
"Eh?"  
Itachi just ignored Kisime and continued talking. "Yondaime-san also sealed half of the kyuubi into himself, so we either take Naruto, him, or both."

Kisime just raised his eyebrow at Minato as he gaped at Itachi.  
"How the hell do you know that, Itachi-kun?"

Itachi chuckled, a smirk on his face. "I watched you seal the kyuubi while i was still an ANBU. Now let us get the kyuubi brat, or we'll take you with us as well," Itachi said smugly.

Minato's eyes hardened, anger showing on his face. "No one. No one is allowed to call my SON a demon brat." Minato flashed behind Kisime, grasping his sword before throwing it twenty feet away. Never touching the ground.

Kisime looked behind him only to find no foot prints. Dang he's good. No traces... Kisime slowly turns his face towards Minato, a smug smirk plastered on his face. "Look's like we're taking you too." Kisime used his chakra to pull the sword back to him. Then he swung his chakra eating sword at Minato. Held his gaze, back flipping away from the sword with ease. He was in yellow flash mode now.

"You don't stand a chance on touching me with that sword." Minato flashed in front of Kisime, kneeing in the gut. At the same time, he wielded the samada from Kisime's grasp and took it to Konoha. Less then a second later, he was in front of the Akasuki members once again. "You should know, I'm a SS-ranked ninja. You don't stand much of a chance." Minato's voice was cold.

"Hmph. Well Itachi and I are both S-rank ninjas. Won't be that hard." A smirk grew on his face.  
"Kisime. He's right, he's killed armies by his hand alone."  
"Well, i wanna kill something." Kisime started going threw hand signs. "Water release: Five feeding sha-"

Minato slapped the side of his hand against Kisime's neck, causing him to fall unconscious. Minato smirked, but his face still held sternly. He turned his face towards Itachi.

Itachi sighed. "Yondaime-sama."  
"I take it you're still a spy, Itachi. You wouldn't be calling me 'Yondaime-sama' if you weren't."  
"Hai. Sharp as ever." Itachi's voice was serious, revealing nothing.

Minato nodded and let his hand connect with Itachi's neck, knocking him out the same way as Kisime.

Naruto

Naruto ran. He was afraid that the Akasuki members were still after him. He'd stopped sensing them about five minutes ago, but that didn't mean anything. And so he ran. Sure he wanted to become Hokage, but he was only thirteen. There was no way he could take on an S-rank ninja on his own yet. Let alone two. He needed help, and so, he ran toward Konoha.

Naruto eventually crumbled to the ground. He was exhausted. He healed fast, and regained energy quickly, but he was mainly mentally exhausted. He crumbled into the snow, thinking about the past few days. Then the past few years. Everyone has known! Kakashi had known. Sakura, Sasuke, everyone. A tear slid down his face. They all lied to him. I thought i could trust them!

"I tried to tell you, brat."

"Shut up Kyuubi!"

A man walked up behind Naruto, putting a hand on his shoulder. "Isn't this a little to far for a jinchuriki to be away from its village this young?"

Naruto turned his face towards the man before jumping up. He stumbled in the show however and landed on his bottom. He scurried backwards away from him. "Jiraiya of the sanin..." The man had long white hair, red streaks down his face like Kiba, and wore a red and green jacket, Green shirt underneath.

"Ah. So you know me, kid. Why don't we go back to the village?" Jiraiya spoke, noting the headband on the boy.

"G-get away from me!"

Jiraiya

Jiraiya just looked at Naruto confused. Orange-reddish chakra began leaking out of Naruto. He couldn't control it anymore. He wanted to let his rage loose, let it leave him. Jiraiya just stood there, sighing before backing up. "Kid, do you realize what you're doing right now?" He help up his hands slowly. There was a tail waving in the air, and Naruto's whiskers thickened. His hair were fangs, and nails were claws. But was disturbed Jiraiya the most was the kid's eyes. Blood red. Slits. They were the eyes of Kyuubi no kistune.

"I said get away from me!" Naruto's shout was blood curdling, louder then a gong.  
Naruto lunged at Jiraiya, who quickly dodged, jumping into the air. Naruto skidded to a halt, turning around towards Jiraiya. A second tail forming. This much control?

"Stop moving, let me tear you apart!"

"You're really angry kid, what the hell happened to you?"

"You. Have. No. Idea!"

Naruto stood there, letting his tails wave wildly in the air. Jiraiya had also noticed a few villagers had come from the nearby town to see what was happening. Of course they were forty five minutes away, and probably were originally enjoying a stroll. They shrieked in fear, gathering their children telling them to run back towards town.

"You're right kid. I don't. But i do know that it's like to be alone."

"Yea right!" Naruto pushed chakra into his eyes, turning into the rinnegan. But it was red this time, and fox slits in the middle. 

"N-no way!"

Naruto bared his fangs, not caring to respond. Naruto shot at Jiraiya ran at Naruto with a new burst of speed.

"Two rings now, kit"

Jiraiya punched Naruto in the face, just barely keeping up with Naruto. Naruto landed on his back, stomach exposed. Jiraiya took his chance, and put his hand on Naruto's stomach. He twisted his hand clockwise, causing the seal on Naruto's stomach. Naruto let another blood curdling scream, before the demon chakra dissipated and Naruto.

"You know gaki. You're only the second person I've known to have the rinnegan." Naruto just grunted in response before fading into unconsciousness. A breeze came, and he felt a familiar but dangerous chakra signature. He figured it's be an Konoha ANBU. "You can come out now, ANBU-san." He heard a chuckle before a voice.

"You mistake me for someone else. I'm shocked." The man revealed himself from the tree, showing himself in the light, head facing towards the ground. "Sensei." The man raised his head, looking Jiraiya in the eyes.

"M-Minato!" Jiraiya threw a kunai at Minato, who just sighed and dodge the kunai when it was less then a centimeter from his face. "Who are you? My student died thirteen years ago." Jiraiya let some anger slip into his voice.

"O-oi sensei what the hell!"

"I'm not you're sensei."

"Yes. You are."

"Prove it, with a Justu that only the Yondaime Hokage would know then."  
Minato rolled his eyes. "Can't believe you, sensei." Minato however, complied with the request and formed a small blue mass of chakra in the shape of a sphere, before spamming it into the nearest tree. "Rasengan!"

Jiraiya just 'humphed' before walking to the unconscious Naruto. Minato opened his mouth to speak, but Jiraiya cut him off. "Tightened his seal." Minato nodded.

"I think we better get back to the village, and let Sandaime-sama know about this."


	21. Depression and the Drunken Man

Naruto just sat in his mind, in front of Kurama. He was ticked. He found out who his father was, he met Jiraiya, who would probably betray him just the same, and now here he was, sitting in front of the nine tailed demon beast.

"Dammit!" Naruto punched the wall with his fist, creating an echo in the sewer.

"Brat, I've been telling you all along."

"Shut up, Kyuubi!" Thoughts ran through Naruto's head of possible things that could happen while he was unconscious.

"Yea, yea."

Naruto looked up at Kurama. He'd been acting a little strange lately. "O-oi, what's up with you!"

"Me?" Kurama shifted his paws before laying his head on them. "Nothing."

"Yeah right!" Naruto pointed an accusing finger at the fox. "You've taken his side haven't you!"

"Brat, I am the greatest demon in all history. Don't associate me with you foolish mortals."

"Then what is it? Consider it... This month's rent."

"Rent?" Kurama laughed at the thought. "You amuse me. Alright. Let's just say, your father was protecting you."

"Protecting me? Yeah, I doubt it. And if he was protecting me, from what?"

"Kit, if you found out at too much of a young age, you'd be shouting it out all over the streets."

"Yeah, so?" Naruto walked up to Kurama and sat on his head.

Kurama just looked up at him. He was fully tempted to kill the boy, but the brat had grown on him. Kurama couldn't explain it. He was the nine tailed fox, and never once until now could he not kill a mere mortal. "If you started spreading the news, not only would the villagers not believe you and treat you worse, but the news would soon spread that the Yondaime Hokage had a son, you'd be in danger."  
"Why do you sound like you care?"

"I don't. I just care if you die. If you die, I die."

Naruto rolled his eyes. It was the dumbest answer he'd ever heard from the fox. "Yeah right. I thought you said you'd eventually re-spawn."

"Well, that would be true. However, your father sealed only half of me into you."  
"Eh?"

"My other half is in him."

Naruto rolled his eyes. "OK, I guess he doesn't deserve to be hated..." A tear rolled down his face. "But, I still want him out of my life after lying to me."

"Get some sleep." And with that, Naruto dozed off into a deep sleep.

Naruto awoke staring at a white ceiling. White walls surrounded him, and he was lying under white sheets. The curtain next to him was white, and the room reeked of penicillin. There was no other explanation, he was in a hospital. Naruto looked around the room, to find he was alone. He got up, fully healed thanks to Kurama, and opened the window. Jumping out, Naruto walked home. Villagers stared at him. However, they didn't seem as hateful as they once had. Maybe they don't recognize me.

He continued to walk home, with small steps. Walking up the steps, Naruto turned to face his door. He slowly unlocked it, unsure of what to expect. He never really checked if Minato left the house, but it was still possible that he never moved out. He opened the door, stepped in, and closed it. The room was dark, and it was silent. His window blinds were closed as well. Naruto took off his shoes before moving to the curtain. He opened it, revealing a clean room. Minato must have cleaned it. He thought. Lying on the bed, Naruto stared up at the ceiling. This wasn't home, this was torture. It was too quiet for his taste. After spending half his life knowing Minato, having him around, he'd grown to like the noise. Naruto had thought back to the first day he'd ever met Minato.

He'd been scared and alone then. Naruto remembered that he was running from the villagers who'd try and hurt him. He'd remembered that he had fallen asleep in the woods where he could have been killed by wolves or other predatorial animals. That entire day, Minato had watched over him, and every year on his birthday until he came to live with him. He felt guilty, alone, he didn't know what to do. So he did the only thing he knew what to do. Go to his team. Sure they knew and didn't tell him, but they probably felt that it wasn't their place to tell. He couldn't stay mad at them. He got up, walked to the door, and walked to Sasuke's house.

At Sasuke's manor, Naruto knocked on the door, to find Sakura opening it. "Naruto-baka go away!"

"Let him in, Sakura."

Sakura rolled her eyes and obeyed. "Whatever."

"Oi Sasuke-teme, why is Sakura-chan here?"

Sasuke looked up from his shuriken that he was cleaning. "Helping her with kunai and shuriken."

Naruto raised an eyebrow but didn't comment. Sitting down on the sofa across from where Sakura and Sasuke sat, Naruto lied down and just stared at the ceiling. "Clean them like this,' Naruto heard Sasuke say. He closed his eyes and fell asleep.

Sasuke

Sasuke looked up from the kunai and shuriken to Naruto who was awfully quiet. He didn't like it, not one bit. Naruto had his quiet moments at a time, sure, but not like this. Sakura, who was following his gaze, spoke up.

"What's wrong, Sasuke-Kun?"

Sasuke didn't answer.

"Sasuke?"

"He's too quiet. Something is wrong with him, and we have training tomorrow..."

"Just ignore him, Sasuke-Kun. He grew up with no parents, and is spoiled rotten because he can do anything he wants."

Sasuke looked at her, studying her face for any sign of guilt. "You, have no idea what Naruto has gone through, Sakura. Parents are a gift to us, and losing them or not having them is one of the worst things to can happen to a kid."

"What are you talking about, Sasuke-Kun?"

Sasuke picked up a kunai and threw it at a target on his wall for practicing. On its way to the target, however, it grazed Sakura's cheek. Blood dripped down her cheek slowly. "Sakura. Do you see any adults around here? Any clan members, any parents, sibling, cousins?" Sakura shook her head, and Sasuke continued on. "You don't know how much it hurts after you lose someone, do you?" Sasuke was now fuming.

"I-I'm sorry..."

"Better be."

Naruto

Naruto awoke on Sasuke's couch. He sat up, to see that it was late in the evening, the last few sun rays shining through the windows. "Look's like you're up, dobe."

Naruto just shrugged, not bothering to respond as Sakura sat next to him. "Hey, Naruto?"  
"Yeah, Sakura-chan?"

"You okay? What's wrong?"  
"Nothing."  
"It's not nothing, baka!"  
"Yes, it is."

"Dobe, you didn't even try to through a come back at me,"Sasuke folded his arms as he sat on his coffee table.

Naruto couldn't hold it back any longer. "You remember when you guy's all met Minato right? Well, well I've known him since I was around five or six, and every year he would show up on my birthday and give me presents. He was like a father to me, while Iruka was a father to me the rest of the time. And, and, um... The year he left us during training, he didn't leave, he watched how the villagers treated me and he then said I was the Kyuubi host. Then he asked if he could stay, and he lied to me through all these years saying he was my uncle but told me two days ago that I was his son, and that he was really the Yondaime Hokage, and what not and... Ugh!"  
Naruto waved his hands through his hair. "I don't even know if I'm supposed to be happy or angry. Or even what to do!"

Sakura and Sasuke just stood there, frozen. Their teammate rushed through all of that so fast and collapsed on the couch again. "It's okay, Naruto, we're here for you..."

Sakura

Sakura started to reflect what Sasuke had said to her earlier. Naruto had mainly grown up alone, although he had friends... There was a knock at the door.

Sakura just looked at Sasuke who shrugged. "I'll get your door, Sasuke-Kun." Sasuke nodded and sat next to Naruto, talking about random things to keep his mind off of Minato.

Sakura walked to the door and opened it. Who greeted her was a shock. Namikaze Minato. "Is Naruto here?"

"Get out! You hurt Naruto and now your punishment is not to see him!" The scream reached the two boys, who just moved deeper in the manor. Sakura, who in turn had slammed the door in Minato's face, locked it and was now walking in the direction she knew the boys would be moving.

She knew that she was still weaker than them, but she also knew that slowly, she was gaining and that they were slowly accepting her strength. If they hadn't already, why would she be here anyway? Sasuke would have never let her in for anything he considered unimportant like fan girls. As she turned the corner to the guest rooms, she heard the quiet voices of Naruto and Sasuke. She walked in the door she heard them in.

They looked up at her, and Sasuke spoke. "Is he gone?"

Sakura nodded, looking up at a shaken up Naruto. "Naruto you okay?" Sasuke spoke this time.

Naruto shook his head and lied down. He was tired. Both Sakura and Sasuke could tell.

Sasuke

Sasuke gestured for Sakura to follow him out the door and turned off the light before he heard Naruto mumble something. He turned around to look at Naruto, Sakura did the same. "What?"

"I don't want to be left alone..." Sasuke looked at Naruto's figure lying on the bed. Sasuke felt sorry for Naruto. He knew the feeling, and even if his brother's betrayal was worse than Minato's he understood.

Sasuke walked to the bed, and sat, leaning against the bed frame. It wasn't the most comfortable position, but it wasn't the worst. He heard Sakura shifting in a chair in the corner of the room. She sighed, staring out the window.

"Arigato..."

"Hey we're a team, right? It's what friends do..." Sakura's tired voice faded as she fell asleep.

Minato

He was hurt when the door was slammed in his face but understood that Sakura wanted to protect her teammate. He'd walked around back to where a light was turned on, which was showing through a window. There, he'd found Sasuke and Naruto, and soon after Sakura walked in. He'd watched the scene unfold as Naruto's teammates leaving, then turning back and making themselves comfortable the best they could. He's been standing in front of the window the entire time, but one one noticed him as he was using a camouflage justu.

-2 hours later-

Minato was in his new apartment-since Naruto kicked him out- and was currently lying on the couch, reading the book the tale of a gutsy ninja. The book was based on a true story, and was, in fact, a entirely true story, except for one thing. The name of the main character. Jiraiya had experienced everything in the entire book, but oddly enough, he didn't put his name down. Instead, he put the name Naruto.

Minato thought of the time when he and his wife, Uzumaki Kushina came up with the name. They'd gotten it from the book that he was currently reading, and couldn't come up with the perfect name...

Flash back

Minato and Kushina were going through baby names to pick one out for their child. Kushina had stated that the child was a boy, but Minato wasn't entirely sure why she was so confident about it. Except for the fact that she was his mother. So far the list contained Menma, Aoi, Shibi and many other for the boy names. Minato worked on the girl names-just in case. These consisted of Akane, Kagome, and Minako.

Minato furrowed his brow and looked across the table to his wife who'd fallen asleep. Minato sighed, stood up, and walked over to Kushina.

"Kushina, dear, why don't you go to bed, I'll keep looking for names." Kushina just mumbled in response.

Minato chuckled, and picked her up, walking to the bedroom. Kushina had wrapped her arms around his neck, so he untangled them before leaving the room and closing the door quietly. Walking back to the kitchen table, he saw a book, that he guessed Kushina was looking at. He picked it up and saw the title. He smiled, he found a name without even trying. Naruto. Naruto Menma Uzumaki Namikaze. He walked to the couch and began to reread the book, falling asleep on the couch six chapters in. Now all was left was to get his sensei's approval.

End flash back

A tear rolled down Minato's face. He was now, more determined than ever, to earn his son's trust back.

Naruto

Naruto awoke to the sounds of something falling to the floor. He opened his eyes, looking around for his disturbance in sleep, spotting Sasuke rubbing his head, and a book on the floor less than a foot of him. "Dang Teme, you sure are tired," Naruto joked.

"Shut it, dobe."

Naruto was about to speak back a retort, but a pillow met his face. "Will you two shut up, I'm trying to get some beauty sleep!" Naruto and Sasuke just sweat dropped at Sakura's antics.

"I'm going to make some breakfast..." Naruto said, heading to Sasuke's kitchen. Sasuke grabbed his rival's arm and shook his head.

"Dobe, my house, and I don't trust your cooking."

Naruto's eyes twitched. "You've never tried my cooking."  
"Whatever," Sasuke said as he walked out of the room.

Naruto rolled his eyes, walking into the living room and unsealing a scroll he'd stole from Gaara during the chunin exams. He opened it, or well at least tried to. It had a blood seal on it. Naruto's eyebrows furrowed. He knew how to seal from learning it from Minato, but he didn't want to talk to him yet. He'd forgiven him, but he still needed time. It was then he remembered that he had to meet his team today. Naruto packed things up before rushing out of Sasuke's Uchiha manor, running home.

"Oi, Dobe where are you going?"

"Got go to teme, see you at the meeting!"  
Naruto rushed through the streets, thinking of all the gear he would need for either missions or training. He was so self-absorbed at the center, he can't notice where he was going and ran into someone. He fell on the ground and sighed. He jumped up ready to insult whoever just ran into him until he saw bright blond hair and blue eyes. Minato.

Naruto stared at him for a minute, and Minato stares back. Then he ran off quickly but heard a voice calling his name.

"Oi, Naruto get back here!"  
Naruto just kept running, forgetting that he still had Minato's kunai in his kunai pouch. A flash appeared in front of him, grabbing his arm to keep him from running again. Bystanders just stared, and other whispered about the 'yellow flash's return'.

"What do you want Minato!" It came out a shout, and he hadn't meant that.

"I just wanted to see if you were okay..." Minato's face and voice were calm, but his eyes filled with worry.

"Okay, okay from what?"

"Jiraiya sensei sealed your chakra from the Kyuubi when you attacked him..."

"Oh, yeah I'm good, fine."  
"Good to hear," Minato paused. "I was wondering if you wanted to get some r-"

"You know what, I have to go meet Kakashi sensei soon, I better get going." Naruto yanked his arm from Minato's gripped and ran off, glad as Minato didn't follow him.

Once he reached his door, he unlocked it and walked in. He looked around for anything he could change into, but there was nothing there. He sighed, and threw his kunai, shuriken, and ninja wire in his pouch, before making a hot cup of ramen.

He ate it slowly for once, enjoying the flavor, and thinking what he should do with the blood seal on Gaara's scroll. He let his mind wander to asking Minato, but then quickly retreated his thoughts. He wouldn't ask Minato, and that was final.

He finished his ramen, before walking out the door to the training grounds. He wasn't surprised that Kakashi wasn't there. He saw Sakura and Sasuke walking towards him in the opposite direction.

"Naruto! Why the heck did you run off!"

Naruto just shrugged at Sakura's antics. A yellow and silver flash appeared. Naruto winced, knowing who it was. Minato, along with Kakashi. "Alright, my cute little genin team..." He trailed off

Sakura had punched Naruto for running off, and Naruto and Sasuke were bickering. Minato chuckled, before looking at Kakashi who wore a depressing aura around him.

"My little cute genin team is ignoring me..." His head was down. Minato rolled his eyes, trying not to laugh at Kakashi's antics before he got their attention.

"Alright!"  
The team looked towards the voice. "Hai, Minato-sama?" asked Sakura.

"Pay attention to Kakashi will ya?"

Kakashi raised his head, a look of fake sadness and depression exposed. It changed a second later to his usual lazy face. "Alright, We're going to be doing some missions today.

"But why with him?" Naruto pointed at Minato, and everyone sighed.

"Because I made Minato-sensei co-captain of team 7."  
"Whatever." Naruto rolled his eyes.

Minato looked at Naruto with a sad expression and sighed. "Alright, let's go."

Minato

Team seven walked into the mission room in the academy, heading to get their next mission, Naruto carrying a fidgeting Tora. His face was a little scratched up, but he'd managed to calm her down. He'd handed the cat to the owner, who was the wife of the daimyo.

"D-rank mission capture the cat Tora, complete," Saratobi Hiruzen spoke as he handed the ryo to team seven. "Your next mission will be baby sitting, planting crops, or...-"

"No. I refuse to do any of those missions, give us another!" Everyone knew who the voice had come from. Naruto.

"You brat! Show some respect for the Hokage!"

"It's okay Iruka. Naruto, the missions are ranked for different levels of ninja. E-ranks for Academy level, D-rank genin, C-rank and B rank for chunin, A-rank for jonin, and S-rank for ANBU, Hunter nin or above, and few limited Jonin."

"I don't care, give us another mission!" Naruto sat on the floor, turned facing the door. Minato just stared at Naruto, unsure of what had just happened. He never expected his son to care about missions.

Then again... He is Kushina's son too...

He looked towards Sasuke and Sakura, who he could tell wanted another mission as well, but Sakura was pretending not too. She lifted up her arm, hands clenched and tried bopping Naruto on the head. Minato caught her wrist. She glared and used half of a self-defense move to free her arm.

"Alright, Naruto. I'll give you a C-rank mission if your senseis agree."  
Naruto jumped up, excitedly. "What type of mission is it?"

"It's an escort mission."

Naruto nodded, collecting his energy back. "Kakashi-sensei can we do it?"

"I don't see why not."

"I don't see a problem either, Naru-chan."

"I hate that pet name," Naruto pouted.

"Too bad."  
Kakashi just laughed. "I might just use that now, Sensei." Minato grinned.

"ANBU bring him in." The ANBU nodded and shushined a few rooms away. A minute later they brought in a man with a straw hat, Gray pants and a shirt, and gray hair. He had a towel over his shoulder and sake in his hand.

Naruto flinched, and Minato understood why. His past with drunk people. He knew once that Naruto had almost been blinded once from a drunk man breaking a sake bottle on his head, scratching his face with the glass shards. Of course, he wasn't sure what age that was, he'd just heard the story.

"Hey Naru, you'll be fine."  
"Give us another."

"This is the only C-rank mission paid for, and I will not give you anything higher."

"Ugh fine!"

Naruto

He looked towards the old man he was to be escorting. Tazuna. An old drunk man who was a bridge builder. Kakashi was also late to the gates, meeting the team. He looked up to Minato, who just sighed. A swirl of leaves appeared, soon revealing Kakashi.

"Yo."

"You're late, Kakashi-sensei!" shouted Sakura and Naruto. Sasuke was just leaning against one of the gate doors with quiet 'hn'.

"Hai Hai, there was a drowning sea turtle on the side of the road."

Naruto glared at Kakashi. "That is the worse lie I have ever heard, sensei. First off there is no ocean around here, and second... If there is no ocean, there are no turtles, and sea turtles are very unlikely to drown in the water. Their called sea turtles for a reason!"

Kakashi just sighed. "Anyway let's get going."  
Tazuna started walking but turned around. "Alright you 'elite' ninja are here protect me from bandits at the risk of your lives!"

"You mock us, Jiji! You're speaking to the Future Hokage of Konohagakure, so show some respect!"

Tazuna raised an eyebrow. "I don't care about Hokage or any ninja related things, just things that involve me and me alone." He turned around and walked. Team seven got into formation: Kakashi in the front, Sakura behind, Naruto and Minato side to side, and Sasuke in the back.

Naruto glared at Tazuna and edged away from Minato keeping his distance.

1 hour later

Naruto was still keeping his distance from Minato and glaring at Tazuna when the silence was broken by Sakura.

"Mr. Tazuna, how long will it take for us to get to the land of waves?"

"Well we've been walking for about an hour, and so I'd say around 5 in the afternoon. That is if you brats keep up this pace."

"Why you!" Naruto lunged at Tazuna.

Minato wrapped his arm around Naruto's neck and grabbing one of his arms it restrain him from attacking Tazuna. "Now now Naruto. We're not supposed to kill the client."  
Naruto kept struggling.

Tazuna turned to Kakashi. "Am I really safe with these brats?"

Kakashi nodded. "If they try anything, Minato and I will control them. And if anything happens, Minato is and SS-rank Jonin and I am an A-rank." Tazuna nodded.

Minato and Kakashi soon caught sight of two puddles on each side of the road. Naruto noticed too but didn't think much about it as he was too focused on Tazuna to even pay attention.

Soon after they passed, men rose from the puddles and wrapped both Kakashi and Minato in cold, sharp, steel chains. Ripping the two into hundreds of little pieces each in front of the kids, the men smirked.

"Minato!"

"Kakashi-sensei!"

"Naive children... Two down, four left to go..."

"Get 'em!"


	22. The Demon Brothers

Naruto glanced around, then at the two attackers. He was furious. He ran forward, creating a shadow clone, and started off with basic taijutsu for attacks. 

"Sakura, protect Tazuna!" shouted Sasuke, following his teammate into battle. 

The chunin however, was faster than Naruto and threw their chains at him. Unaware of the poison dripping off the chains, Naruto grabbed him, letting the blades of the mini connected shuriken blades cut his skin. 

"How dare you... How are you hurt Minato and Kakashi-sensei!"

Sakura went in front of Tazuna, while Sasuke ran towards one of the brothers, grabbing his ninja wire, he slide by them, dodging a kunai while catching his foot with the wire, causing him to trip. Both of the demon brothers pulled at the chain Naruto was clenching, causing it to tear his skin. He let go, and pulled out a shuriken, throwing it at the chain, pinning it to a tree a meter behind. With Sakura protecting Tazuna and Sasuke fighting the first brother, Naruto headed off to the second who had his katana drawn. 

"You brats really think you can defeat us?" spat Gozu. "We took out the jonin, what can a few genin do, huh?" The man swung his sword aiming for Naruto's gut but was block by a kunai. 

Pushing the man backward, Naruto lunged at him "Ahh!" Tripping him, Gozu kicked him onto the ground and wrapped ninja wire around Naruto's neck and stepped on his stomach. Naruto smirked. 

Taking out Minato's kunai, he cut the wire and dug the blade into Gozu's leg, forcing him to let out a shriek of pain. Seeing the chance Naruto jumped up, grabbing the man's sword and wrapping his arm around his neck, knocking him out from the lack of air. Dragging him to a nearby tree, Naruto took out some rope and took all of Gozu's ninja tools. Some of these include shuriken, kunai, ninja wire, and poisons to dip his blades in. 

Sasuke 

Meizu got up, kicking Sasuke's chest forcing him to let go. Sasuke scowled and activated his Sharingan, ready for any oncoming attacks. Meizu took out another chain meant for only one person not two- and snapped it in Sasuke's direction. Sasuke skidded backward avoiding the poisoned blade. Meizu smirked at Sasuke, sprinting forward, he jumped over Sasuke and snapped the chain downward towards Sasuke. However Sasuke's Sharingan saw this, and so he raised his arm, kunai in hand, and let the chain wrap around the blade. Sasuke pulled the kunai behind him, causing Meizu to crash towards the ground with a thud. 

"Hn... I thought chunin was supposed to be stronger..." 

Meizu, however, was still conscious, and slowly got back up. Sasuke backed up a few steps before running forward, jumped into the air, and kicked Meizu on the forehead while spinning in midair, sending him back onto the ground. Before he could get back up again, Sasuke threw a few kunai, catching on Meizu's clothes as a warning if he moved, there would be trouble. Meizu stiffened before stalling for a minute, giving enough time for Sasuke to bind his hands and feet, and to take away all his tools. 

Sakura

Sakura looked around, barely any blood on the ground, and Naruto and Sasuke managed to take down two B-rank ninjas. 

"Impressive," Sakura heard Tazuna say from behind her. 

"That's Sasuke for you!"

"And what about your blond friend?"  
"Who Naruto? He's just a baka," Sakura stated as she looked towards Sasuke. 

"Wait a minute..." Sakura looked towards the voice. baka→bac

"What, Naruto-baka."

"If Kakashi-sensei and Minato are gone..."

Sakura's gaze softened. "Your right..."

"You two know, that for improving so much, your still complete idiots."

"Huh?" 

Two figures shushined in front of Gozu and Meizu. "Good work, Sasuke, Naruto, Sakura."

Tazuna just stared at the two jonin bewildered. "So you let your students do the work?"

"Well, we were thinking of fighting them ourselves..." Minato started.

"But we wanted to see who they were after. Us ninja or someone who could cause a threat to someone else..." Finished Kakashi. 

"Oh..."  
"Is there something you'd like to tell us Tazuna-san? Or should we just cancel the mission and head back to Konoha?"

"Alright alright..." Tazuna started talking to a fallen log before sitting down. "A man named Gato has come to my village. We used to live in prosperity, but now all there is fear, hunger, and hopelessness. The only hope the people have is the completion of the bridge. Go back to your village if you want. Leave my daughter and grandchild to starve and see their grandfather die."

Minato sighed. "No need to exaggerate on that Tazuna-san." 

"Wait a minute... Gato, you mean the filthy rich marketing man?" asked Kakashi.

"That's him."  
"Why would he do that?" spoke Sakura, joining the conversation as she settled on the ground. He feet were tired from standing anyway.

"Gato has two sides... One side he's this famous business man that's kind and jolly. But to us who have known him, he's rotten on the inside. He gambles and will steal money from those who need it, uses it to gamble, and hire guards and shinobi to protect him and threaten and kill those who try to stand up to him. All he cares about is his wealth."

Naruto folded his arms and Sasuke thought about how his brother Itachi only cared for power. 

"There's no way we're going back and leaving those people like that right?"

"I guess there's no escaping it. Someone has to do it," frowned Sasuke.

"Definitely not!"

Minato and Kakashi sighed. "Looks like we're outvoted, not that we were going to say no anyway."  
"Alright lets go'tte'bayo!"

Getting up, Tazuna led the way once again heading to a lake.

Minato

"Hey Naru," Minato spoke in a whisper. "You seemed pretty mad in that battle, what was that about?"

Naruto didn't answer. In response he just faced the other way and pouted, ignoring Minato completely. 

"He's still mad at you sensei?"

"Yep."

"He'll warm up. I think he already has anyway."

"Yeah right!" shouted Naruto. "There is no way I am gonna forgive him! Not ever!"

"Sure sure."

"Shut it Kakashi-sensei."

Sasuke smirked at Naruto's response, before looking at Sakura who was already responding. Turning around, Sakura stomped towards Naruto and swatted him upside the head.

"Show some respect to Kakashi-sensei!"

"Gomen'nasai Sakura-chan..."

"You better be!"

"Maybe I should try that next time."

"Itai!" responded Naruto.

Tazuna

"We're here." Kakashi looked towards the lake, a man was waiting there on a boat. Mist covered the majority of the lake, perfect cover to not be noticed by Gato or any of his Guards. 

Climbing on the boat, Tazuna settled towards the back, and took out a sake bottle from his bag, along with some money to pay the boat owner. 

"I'm keeping the engine off."

"Might as well." 

The waves of the lake lapped the side of the boat, occasionally splashing one of the ninja or Tazuna. The mist was thick, and from the looks of Naruto, Tazuna could tell that Naruto may have been wondering if one could really cut fog with a knife, and was tempted to try it with his kunai. There was no sun shining through the clouds above, and even if there was, Tazuna highly doubted that its rays would make it past the fog.

Silence. That's all there was for the past two hours, occasionally a creek from the boat or the splish-splosh from the waves. Silence. And that how it would continue so they would make it to land. Or at least one would hope for. But that hope did not last.

The bridge finally came into view, and to team sevens amazement, it was much larger than any bridge they had ever seen before. 

"That thing is huge!"

"You got that right Naruto-baka!" 

"H-hey quiet or we may be noticed from anyone on the bridge!"

"Gomen, sir."

"Yesh. I thought Ninja were trained to be silent."

-Hour Later-

Team Seven had finally reached the shore of the land of waves and gotten off the boat. 

"It's only about an hour walk from my place from here, we can make it before dinner." 

"Sweet, free food!" (A/N: This totally reminds me of someone I know who is reading this...)

Tazuna chuckled.

Naruto

Hearing a twig break, Naruto drew a kunai, throwing it towards the nearby sound.

"There's nothing there-baka!"

Naruto ignored Sakura and walked to where he threw the kunai to find a stunned rabbit. Sakura and the others soon followed to see what was there. 

"You could have killed it!"

"By the looks of it, Sakura... This rabbit was raised inside to be killed. As a substitution."

"Duck!"

Sakura, hearing the warning, ducked in response, seeing a giant sword fly above them, slamming into a tree.

"Well, well, well... Copy Ninja Kakashi... we finally meet." 

Author-chan: Oh don't you all just love cliff hangers...

Naruto: No not really. 

Author-chan: No one asked you.

Naruto: By the way... Who is the person you said that reminded you of me?

Author-chan: x glares x another way around. 

Naruto: Aw. Then how do I remind you of your friend? x makes an innocent grin x

Author-chan: None of your business. Buuuut if you really want to know, you both love food-especially ramen, frogs, and well, you both bakas.

Naruto: Can I meet him?

Author-chan: No.

Naruto: Please!

Author-chan: I said no.

Naruto: Pretty please with a Naruto fish cake on top?

Author-chan: Naruto you're breaking the fourth wall. 

Naruto: Okay okay. Sayonara Author-chan!

Author-chan: Just leave already so I can go back to making the story.

Naruto: x pouts x Fine fine. x Shushins away x

Author-chan: Thank you.


	23. Demon of the Mist

"Well well well... Copy Ninja Kakashi... we finally meet."

"Zabuza, the Demon of this mist."

"Who're your friends? Some ordinary jonin and his genin team? They're nothing but a bunch of brats."

"What! How dare you call us brats without seeing our skill!" shouted Naruto. Sakura bopped him on the head in response. "Shut up Naruto-baka! Can't you see he's an S-ranked ninja!"

"A-ranked actually, Sakura," spoke Minato.

"Oh... Blondie two actually knows a few things... pinkie... you're no ninja... I've had my hands stained with blood by your age."

"Wh-what!" Sakura fell on her knees.

"That's right... Yondaime mizukage made our graduation exam to be to kill other classmates that you shared lunch with, were friends with. Much like an ANBU exam."

"The one that wasn't even fit to become a ninja... Became one of the most fearsome ninjas of the mist..."

"Enough talk. More battle..." Wielding his sword from with under him, Zabuza jumped to the ground. "Kakashi... Our battle awaits."

"Sakura, Naruto, Sasuke. Protect Tazuna."

Minato stepped in front of Kakashi and speed towards Zabuza. Drawing a kunai, he threw it.

"I don't have any interest in you."

"Oh, you might."

As Zabuza dodged the kunai, Minato disappeared and reappeared behind Zabuza, Kunai to the neck.

"I've heard of you..."

"You may have. Depends on who you believe I am."

Naruto

"There's no way that creep is gonna escape Minato. He's too fast."

"You sure Naruto?" Naruto turned to look at Sakura, and she pointed.

Behind Minato was a clone.

"Not again..."

Naruto watched as the clone put his sword right to Minato's neck. "Game's over, blondie."

"You're too quick to judge," spoke Minato calmly. "Kakashi, be ready."

"Hai," Kakashi spoke, drawing a three-pronged kunai from his pouch.

Teleporting to Kakashi, Minato made a few shadow clones to protect the team.

"Fair enough." Zabuza lifted his hand over his head and placed the other near his mouth. Chanting something, mist slowly but steadily appeared around the clearing.

"Kakashi-sensei what is that justu?" spoke Sakura quietly. Kakashi shushined next to her to help protect Tazuna. Lifting his Sharingan he spoke.

"That is the mist's special technique, Sakura. Wait a minute... Minato-sensei watch out, he's using mizu-bushin," spoke Kakashi, voice steady.

Minato

"No problem. How much do you think Ibiki would like a gift?"

Zabuza started running towards Minato, sword extended to his left. "I'll be no gift for anyone."

Zabuza slashed the sword at Minato's face, but in response, Minato back bent, before backflipping onto the water. "I'd rethink that response if you don't want to be tortured..." Said Minato in a mischievous tone.

"Minato can I please help?"

"No your not quite strong enough for him yet Naru..."

"Enough chitchat, more battle."   
"It was four sentences...."

Zabuza started to make hand seals for a water dragon. Minato teleported to Kakashi and brought him into battle as they both also, made water dragons. In unison. The three dragons rose from the sea, and Minato's and kakashi's charged towards Zabuza's dragon, overpowering him and making a small tsunami chasing Zabuza to land in a tree.

Kakashi

Walking up to Zabuza, as he started to get up, a Senbon needle flew through the air and hit Zabuza in the neck. Kakashi and everyone else looked up to a boy about thirteen wearing a hunter ninja mask and gear.

"As a missing ninja it's my job to discard of him. Thank you for all you've done just now."

"The pleasure."

The hunter ninja jumped down, and lifted Zabuza's body. A second later he disappeared.

Minato and Kakashi stated at the place ether disappeared. Kakashi was the first to think but both were thinking the same thing. "That masked boy is his ally."

Naruto looked at Kakashi. "How is that?"  
"Naruto, hunter ninjas are supposed to kill their enemy on sight. The fact that he didn't leaves a chance for him to be his accomplice" 

"Oh..." Spoke Sakura and Naruto.

"You know Naruto for a hidden genius, your kinda dumb." Naruto scratched the back of his head in embarrassment.

"I get that a bit...hehe..."

"We should head to my house. It's not far from here," spoke Tazuna

-30 minutes later-

"I'm home!"  
"Welcome back, Tou-San."   
"Tsunami, these are the ninjas I've hired."   
The woman, now known as Tsunami, smiled at the ninjas. "Welcome! You look hungry, would you like to eat?"

"Yes please!"


	24. Hero of the Wave

Naruto and Sasuke currently shoving their faces into food glared at one another. Sakura just sighed at their antics. "You guys, are idiots."

"Fourths please!" Minato just sighed. Naruto and Sasuke turned their heads back and threw up. Tsunami just stares before giggling. 

"Stop eating if you're gonna vomit!" 

"I need to eat so I can become stronger." 

"Yea!"

Kakashi rested his hands on his chin. "Eating until you vomit, doesn't make you any stronger." 

Tazuna smirked. "He's right you know. I may not be a ninja, but I do know how to get stronger and hard work." 

"That's right, and You're not getting fourths," spoke Tsunami, looking up from the dishes she was washing. 

"You can't beat Gato."

"You brat!" Naruto lunged at Inari, Minato flashed behind him and held him down. 

Sakura was looking at a picture. "Who was the other person in this picture? It seems someone was ripped out. Why?"

Everyone went silent for a minute. Finally, Tsunami spoke. "He was My husband."

Tazuna sighed. "He was a hero in this land."Inari suddenly got up and shouted. "There is no such thing as heroes!" He walked out of the room, and up the stairs and slammed his bedroom door.

"Father! You know Inari doesn't like you talking like that!"

Tazuna had his face buried in his hands.

"What happened?"

"Sakura," Minato had a serious face. "It may be an upsetting topic. Best not to bring it up."

"No, it's alright."

"His name was Kaiza. It all started when Inari...

One year ago

Inari was running towards the dock, his puppy following. Catching up, three boys grabbed the dog. 

"No, Pochi!" 

Inari tried to grab the dog from the boy holding him, Akane. "His name is Shooting Star now!" 

"No! His name is Pochi and he's my puppy!"

"Not anymore!" Pochi bit Akane. "Ow!"

Running, the three boys chased after him. Inari following. They caught him, but one of the boys tripped and fell into the end of the water. "Give him back!"

"Stupid mutt! If you want him so much," Akane paused, talking towards the end of the dock. "Go get him!" He dropped Pochi into the water. 

"Pochi!" Inari started crying. 

'I need to help him...' He got close to the water, pausing and crying more. "I'm sorry Pochi... I'm too scared!" 

"How lame..." Akane pushed Inari into the water. 

Inari waved in the water helplessly, trying to swim. He hadn't learned how to yet. 

"Akane... What if he can't swim? I think you screwed up this time." 

"Shut up." 

Inari continued to flap his arms in the water. Looking at Pochi, who learned to doggy paddle, and swimming to shore, he sank underneath the surface of the water, 15 feet under. 

'This is it...'

Inari's vision went blank. 

-an hour later- 

Inari woke in a sleeping bag. A fire was crackling next to him, fish roasting. Sitting up, Inari sat up, looking around. He spotted a man with black hair and a white headband. 

"Did you save me?"

The man looked up and smiled. "Yeah, and I talked to those kids too, they won't be bothering you anymore."

"Thanks... Pochi is gone isn't he?"

"When you didn't save him, you betrayed his trust. Dogs are loyal creatures. They will help you as long as they have your trust. When you betray their trust, they will try and find someone more reliable, or become violent. Not always, but many times." 

Inari slouched, looking at his hands. "I'm sorry P-Pochi... I was scared..." 

"You need to learn not to let fear control you. Face your fears." 

"H-how?" 

"However, you can." 

flash forward

"Kaiza! the river is flooding, and the gate is on the other side! If it's not closed the town will flood!"

"I'll be there."

"But Dad!"

"If I don't do it, no one will." 

Running to the river, Inari and Kazia made their way through the crowd. Tying a rope around his waist, he got ready to jump into the water. 

"Dad," Inari paused and Kaiza squatted in front of him. "Good luck." 

Kaiza smiled and stood up. "Thanks, Inari."

Kaiza jumped into the water, started swimming towards the open gate on the other side of the river. 

Kaiza's body was pushed under the waves, strong currents pushed him with the current, pulling the rope tied around him with it. His head resurfaced, he gulped down air, fighting for breath. Once regaining it, he swam diagonally towards the gate, water splashing in his face. 

After minutes of anxiety, Kaiza was able to grab onto the gate and threw the gate rope across. 

"He's done it!" and "Pull the rope!" Inari heard. 

Many villagers, including Inari, started to pull on the rope, closing the water off from flooding. Locking it, Kaiza got off. 

"He's a hero!" Inari smiled and hugged his father.

"Since then, Kaiza has been known as a hero in this land," Tazuna said, chin resting on his hands. 

"What happened to him?" Naruto asked, leaning forward on the table. 

"Gato came and took over this land. He had captured Kaiza and beat him, broke his arm."

Naruto's eyes widened, hands curling into a fist. 

"This Man has crossed me! For punishment, he shall die!" Gato signaled for his guards to start stabbing the tied up Kaiza. Inari stood there crying, not bearing the pain, or being able to watch more than 2 seconds. 

"Let this be a lesson. There is no such thing, as heroes." 

Present time

"That's harsh... Poor boy..." Sakura said, face towards the table. 

"Yea... I'm going to show him that heroes are real!" Minato chuckled, and Kakashi's face was just blank. 

"Hn." 

Walking towards the door, Naruto opened it and headed upstairs. Heading down the hall, he heard quiet sniffles and the sounds of crying.

"Dad, you lair... You lied to me!"

Inari

He looked out the window facing towards the ocean. He'd been holding the picture of his family while staring at the moon. Recalling the memories he had with him, tears rushed down his face, staining his cheeks temporally. 

"You lied to me..."

Naruto

Through the door, Naruto had a feeling of sympathy and understanding. He walked away from the door, leaving the boy to himself and his thoughts.


	25. Suggestions

"Naruto?" Minato waved his hand in front of his son's face. "Naruto."

"Huh?" Naruto jolted up from his seat. "Oh. What do you want?"

Minato's face said nothing, his lips were closed and his eyes were blank endless pools of blue. He smiled, trying to conjure up some cheer. "Just seeing how my only son was doing." 

"I told you, I hate you," Naruto said. He felt a pain in his heart pushing away his only blood relative when all he meant was to protect him. But it just felt so wrong, wrong to apologize so soon. No, he'd wait. He wasn't going to apologize now. Not yet. 

Minato's smile faltered ever so slightly but kept it up. "I know I lied..." Minato's smile went. "I'll make it up to you someday, Naruto."

Naruto nodded, he turned around and walked away from Minato. Heading out the door, Minato teleported behind him and held a hand on his shoulder tightly. "Can I at least teach you?"

Naruto looked up, thoughts entering and leaving his mind, deciding if the answer would be yes, or no. Naruto shrugged Minato's shoulder off and walked out to where Kakashi was resting. He was reading Icha Icha. Naruto's nose wrinkled in disgust but walked up to him, and sat on the log next to him. Ahead, he saw Sasuke and Sakura sparing. "Hey, Kakashi-sensei?" 

Kakashi looked up from his book with a bored expression. "Hmm? What is it Naruto." Kakashi looked back at his book. 

"Minato just asked if he should train me..." Naruto put his hands on his knees, and folded his fingers in front of his face, using his thumbs as a rest for his chin. 

Kakashi looked at him, but his head still faced his book. "Is that so... Did you say yes?" Kakashi watched as Naruto's eyes widened. He chuckled. "You know, Naruto." Naruto's face bolted from looking at Sasuke and Sakura spar to Kakashi. "Minato-sensei is a SS-rank Ninja. Honestly, why would you say no?"

 

Naruto sighed, and slid onto the ground, pouting. "Because you're his student. The next generation is supposed to surpass the next."

Kakashi closed his book and bopped Naruto on the head with it. "Naruto, of all the people I know, you're probably the only one that could ever surpass him in this day in age."

Naruto rubbed his head, glaring at Kakashi. "So you're saying to accept his lessons? Even though he lied to me?" Kakashi looked him evenly in the eyes. 

"Yes," Kakashi had no emotion in his voice. "That is exactly what I'm suggesting." Naruto groaned in protest. "Go." 

Naruto got up, to see Sasuke holding a kunai to Sakura's throat. "I win, Sakura." Naruto walked over to them and removed the kunai from Sasuke's hand. "Oi, dobe!"

"Spar me." Naruto's voice held slight excitement in it. Sasuke looked at him. 

"Hn," Sasuke folded his arms. 

"Oh come on, Sasuke!" Naruto grabbed a kunai and charged at Sasuke. 

"Fine, dobe." Sasuke grabbed shuriken from his pouch and threw them at Naruto. He dodged and used a kunai to deflect the remaining ones. 

Sasuke has started charging at him too, Kunai in hand. Extending his arm, Sasuke's kunai met Naruto's. Naruto kicked his leg out towards Sasuke's knee. Sasuke however, activated his Sharingan, and grabbed Naruto's arm, using the momentum to swing around and kick Naruto in the back. Naruto stumbled forward but regained balance.

"Dobe, you're a nuisance. How did you even become a ninja?" Naruto smirked in response, before exploding in a cloud of smoke. "Wha- Shadow clone?!?" Sasuke felt Naruto wrap his arm around his neck. He held onto his wrist, to keep it in place. Sasuke used his Kunai to cut him. An attempt to get free. Naruto didn't budge and kicked Sasuke in the back of the knee. Sasuke stumbled forward, but rolled onto the ground, pulling Naruto with him, over his head. 

Sasuke landed on top, and Naruto rolled to the side, kicking him off. Crossing his fingers, and channeling chakra into them Naruto created a small army of ten shadow clones. Some slid on the ground in an attempt to knock Sasuke down, while others went to restrain his arms and legs. Sasuke hit them all with a kunai, and they dispersed. Naruto just stood there, as Sasuke ran towards him, throwing shuriken. 

Orange rings formed around Naruto's eyes, and he closed them. He tilted side to side, jumped, ducked, and so on. He invaded all the shuriken. Sasuke smirked and jumped into the trees. He took out ninja wire and hid it in the shadows. He put a few paper bombs on the trees he wrapped it around. "Dobe," Sasuke muttered under his breath. 

Naruto had followed him. Sasuke stood in the center of a very small clearing not far in the woods. Naruto took one step and tripped the ninja wire. The paper bombs went off, Naruto dispersed. He turned around and blocked Naruto with his arm, looking at the kunai in his hand. 

"Not bad," spoke Naruto. He pushed back, and landed on the ground, skidding a few feet away from Sasuke. 

Naruto began to charge again, but a flash of yellow appeared between Naruto and Sasuke. Sasuke looked at Minato, who had his hands out in case, and was facing Naruto. 

Naruto straightened up. "Were you watching the entire time?" 

"Perhaps," Minato folded his arms and walked towards Naruto. Sasuke was already walking away. 

Naruto scowled and turned his face away from Minato. "What did you think of it?" 

Minato paused. "Well, your taijutsu definitely needs work. However... It wasn't bad. Roughly, it was a tie. That is if you didn't hold back on your sage mode." Naruto looked at him, then angled his eyes towards the ground. 

"I accept your offer to train me..." Naruto's voice was quiet. Minato's face remained blank, but Naruto knew he was happy. 

"Alright, what do you want to learn first?" Naruto back up again. A large smile spread across his face. "Flying Raijin."

 

Minato looked at him and then facepalmed. "I meant that was your level."

Naruto frowned, and Minato placed his hand on his head and ruffled his hair. Naruto batted his hand off. "I... Don't know..."

Minato chuckled. "Alright... How about we start off with..."

 

That's it for now guys! I'll be able to update on Friday, I have the day off from school I'm sorry to keep you all waiting! Don't forget to give me story ideas!

Also: 

Do you want Naruto to learn the Rasengan or more sealings? Vote in the comments! If I get none by Friday I'm picking!


	26. Rasengan start with Balloons

When your chapter deletes like a hundred or so words; its the nightmare of writing. 

Naruto was staring at Minato with a bored expression. Was he insane? A water balloon? Naruto was standing, arms folded. His black shirt that he had gotten a few days prior was dirty and needed a wash. Minato held his arm out, the balloon on his hand. 

He poured chakra into it, and the balloon twisted and turned, making weird and funky shapes. A second later, it popped, and water sprayed on Naruto's face, Minato's sleeve, but mainly soaked his wrist and hand. Naruto just sighed eye's drooping. It was nightfall, and only now was Minato showing him the Rasengan. He wasn't sure why Minato had waited almost the entire day only show him now. He also thought it was dumb that why they were using water balloons and just not learning justu like Chidori, which was easier than Rasengan. Only in his mind. He slumped down, blinking open his eyes trying not to fall asleep. 

Minato glanced at Naruto, then at the enormous piles of water balloons. "That's the first step in learning the Rasengan, Naruto," he said, wiping his hand off on his pants to dry it. He listened quietly as the waves washed up on shore, and retreated repeatedly in a steady beat. Naruto yawned, making him look younger than he was. Minato chuckled and ruffled his hair. Naruto looked up at his hand and rolled his eyes. "Minato why did you wait till now to show me? I mean it's night!" Naruto's voice made a loud echo, and he quickly clasped a hand over his mouth. 

Minato chuckled and began to walk away. He turned his neck back slightly to respond. "So you can think about it," he said hastily before flashing away. Naruto slumped to the ground, legs and arms sprawled out. His eyes slowly closed, exhausted. He didn't understand what Minato said, but he did definitely know he wasn't going walk back to the house. The grass tickled his face, and the wind blew his hair around. He shivered as sleep took him, and curled up into a ball trying to keep the warmth. 

Morning

Naruto awoke to a prodding on his back. His thin black shirt had been warmed by the plentiful sunlight filtering through the green leaves in the canopy. He looked up and saw Sasuke kneeling in front of him, trying to shake him awake. He tried slapping him away sloppily, as he rolled on his back. Sasuke just smirked. "You're hard to wake, you know that dobe?" Naruto groaned, not wanting to get up. 

"Let me sleep!" He reached for a pillow, to feel nothing. He jolted into an upright sitting position, eyes wide. "Did I fall asleep out here?!"

"Hn." Naruto turned to look at Sasuke, responding to his 'Uchiha language'. 

"Yeah, yeah, I know, don't get all moody Uchiha on me," Naruto muttered as he staggered up to stand. He leaned against a tree, wrapping his arms around it, and closed his eyes. Suddenly, he felt something crawling on his face. Multiple things. He opened his eyes to see a few spiders on him. He shouted in surprise, jumping away from the tree, trying to wipe them off. Naruto heard a distinctive 'hn' as he panicked. He looked at Sasuke flustered in embarrassment. 

Sasuke watched as Naruto's hands clenched, jaw tightening. "It startled me, alright!" Sasuke rolled his eyes, in disagreement, before hearing the long noise produced by Sakura.

"Sasuke-Kun!" Sasuke just stood there, not caring about the searching fangirl. "Sasuke-Kun! Kakashi-sensei wants to work on some justu with us!" This caught Sasuke's attention, as he was always trying to get stronger to kill his 'certain man'. He looked behind to see her approaching, happily. "There you are, Sasuke. Kakashi-sensei wants to come train us." Sakura looked at Naruto, then the huge pile of water balloons, and finally, back at Sasuke. 

"Minato is having me break water balloons for training," Naruto said, pouting. Sakura tilted her head and gave a half frown. She looked back at Sasuke, hoping for an answer, but he remained silent, unanswering. 

"Why is he having you do that?" Sakura asked, picking up a water balloon. Naruto watched for a second. 

"He's teaching me Rasengan. However, I don't really know what this is for... I guess I could send a clone all the way home to read up on it..." Naruto's voice faded in as he thought and tried to come up with ideas on how to study the Rasengan. Sakura nodded. 

"Well, good luck, Naruto," said Sakura, encouragingly, and walked away with Sasuke to begin her training. 

Naruto picked up a water balloon and poured chakra into it, in attempt to pop it. He watched as the balloon stretched and swirled, but the squirming of the balloon didn't do a thing. He tried again, pouring a little more chakra into it, the water inside of the balloon spinning clockwise, but even still wasn't popping. He rolled his eyes and threw the balloon at a tree. It popped against the rough bark, splashing water all over it. He understood one thing now, he was much harder than he thought it would be. He sighed and picked up another. 

Taking slow deep breaths, he held out his arm once more. Attempting to picture Minato's green colored Rasengan he closed his eyes. He poured chakra into it, trying to imagine it. He slowly opened his eyes, watching as it stretched and squirmed again. He was it stretch slightly more, but still no avail. He sighed, thought of things that would help. He thought of asking Minato, but he still wasn't going to actually do it. Not unless he absolutely had too. He wanted to do it on his own. 

He closed his eyes, and let chakra pour into them. He then poured chakra into his hand and watched the flow of chakra. Most of it was flowing clockwise, but there were some strands that were going counter-clockwise, vertically, diagonally, and so on. He sighed, before deactivating his rinnegan. He decided to give it a few more tries before asking Minato. 

1,000 water balloons that were thrown at trees later.


	27. Untrained Ninja VS. Rinnegan

A week had passed, and Naruto still hadn't learned the Rasengan. He got up from the mattress he was laying on and sighed, and grabbed some clothes to change into. His black muscle shirt, and black and orange ANBU shinobi pants. Looking at the date and the time, his eyes widened, and he rushed downstairs. Inari and his mother were happily eating breakfast when he rushed in the room looking almost frightened. 

"Oh, good morning Naruto," Tsunami said with a smile. Inari just ignored him and continued to eat his sunny sides up eggs. "What would you like to eat dear?"

Naruto just looked around the room, eyes darting. "Whatever is quick," he said rushing back upstairs.

He grabbed his weapon pouch and checked everything in it. Ninja wire, check. Kunai, shuriken, ration pills, check. Random bandages, check. strapped the pack onto his leg, and tied his forehead protector around his neck and started to rush out the door, when something caught the edge of his eye. He swiftly snatched it from the wall and sprinted down the stairs back to the kitchen. 

Tsunami had a plate with two crisp waffles on it. On top of the waffles, was strawberries, maple syrup, ice cream, and whipped cream. On another plate were two mini sausages, an egg, and a piece of toast. He sat down and grabbed a fork, quickly eating the waffles, strawberries, and ice cream. 

Tsunami looked at him strangely and handed him a glass of milk. Chugging it down he wiped his face with his sleeve and ate the egg and the toast. Stabbing the sausages with his fork, he dipped them in the remainder of the syrup, and at those too. 

"Naruto, slow down..." 

"You can't beat Gato, so why you even trying?" Inari rolled his eyes and continued to slowly gnaw on a piece of toast. 

"You little!" Naruto stood, up, but stopped. "You know what," he said, straightening. "You're not the only one who has had a tough life, brat!" Naruto stacked the dishes and put them in the sink. Walking back, he placed his hands on his hips and continued talking. Tsunami listened, not bothering to interrupt. "I grew up with as an orphan, being thrown around, called a demon, and monster for something I had no control over!" 

Inari's eyes widened slightly, and sucked in a quick breath, before rolling his eyes and folding his arms. Naruto Continued. 

"I was thrown out of the orphanage, lied to, beaten, and tortured. So you think you've had the worst by losing one family member and being poor? I've been poor my entire life!"Naruto picked Inari up by the collar of his shirt and held him in the air. 

"Naruto-san, please put him down," Tsunami chuckled nervously, trying not to upset him anymore. 

Naruto glanced at her, before deflating. "I'm sorry, please forgive me," he said sighing. "Anyway I gotta go, I feel like something's messed up," he said starting to walk away. "He held out the weapon he grabbed from the wall roughly ten minutes ago and stopped to look back at Tsunami and Inari, who was picking at his food. "Is it okay if I borrow this?" he asked, hastily, eagerness in his voice. 

Tsunami nodded quickly, and he shushined off in front of this house. Sprinting, he jumped onto the branch of a tree, and leaped from branch to branch, tree to tree. 

Meanwhile; Kakashi

Kakashi, Minato, Sasuke, and Sakura watched Tazuna build the bridge and occasionally helped out in lifting. They didn't mind the work at all, and Kakashi knew that it would help him out some more, considering he hadn't done any real missions or battles in a while. 

"Tazuna," a relatively young man with messy short brown hair spoke. "I'm gonna quit because even with these ninjas helping us, they can't take on an army of Gato's samurai, or hired rouge ninja." 

"You can't!" Tazuna attempted to persuade him, but to no avail, as he had left a minute later. 

"We can help," offered Minato. He got up, taking a hammer, nails, and wood, to start construction. 

Kakashi, Sakura, and Sasuke followed his example and helped Tazuna with whatever needed to be done. 

After roughly an hour of hammering, lifting, placing, sawing, and so on, Kakashi wiped his face, and heard his student's stomach's growl, he smiled at their hard work. "Take a break, you deserve it," Kakashi said. He then took at large sip of water from a water bottle, and felt the cold, refreshing water trickle into his mouth and down his throat. Tazuna had handed them water bottles before they came, in case they got thirsty. 

Minato, who was still working, glanced at Kakashi and the members of team seven. Naruto still wasn't there. He knew that he was probably up by now, but for him to be away still... 

Naruto

Branches and leaves brushed the sides of Naruto's arms and legs, catching on his clothes every now and then. Looking down at the ground, he noticed a scratched up boar, lying down on the ground. It was bleeding heavily, and he frowned.

Poor thing... Something's up.

Naruto searched the area, noting markings on trees, cut by blades. Or rather, a sword. Jumping down to the ground, he examined the slashes on the trees, and for the most part, they were all in equal size. However, he had noticed on which sides of the trees they were marked. Western. Meaning the people who attacked the boar, was heading towards Inari's home. It was definitely a threat, as none of the common folk had enough yen or ryo to buy any sort of weapon other than probably a cheap kitchen knife. Possibly not even that. 

Naruto began sprinting back to Inari's house, faster than ever. Unlocking his rinnegan, he sprinted as fast as he could.

Rushing out of the forest, Narutobsaw two men with swords in hand, bandanas around their head, or neck.

They both wore a standard shinobi shirt, without any symbols, but one had a brown jacket of it.

Into rushed out of the building, but stopped as soon as he was the two men.

They chuckled, faces smug. Naruto's face, determind, and smug, twisted as he watched them draw closer to Inari, swords pointed.

Extending his hands, Naruto took a deep breathe, and closed his eyes. "Bansho ten'in."

Naruto's voice was clear, and could be heard by the two men and Inari, roughly 50 feet ahead of him. Any farther however, it was a hushed whusper of wind, nature.

The two men shouted in protest, and resistant as they were pulled towrds him, quickly. He extended the other hand, and then spoke; "Shira tensai..." Naruto lifted his hand upwards, and the men followed it.

He dropped his hand, slamming them into the concrete, but not heard enough to kill them.

Lifting his hand one more time, he started walking forward, and the men looked up in fear.

"P-please...Don't just us..."

Naruto's eyebrow arched in curiosity. "Spare you the pain? I don't kill... However, I don't tolerate people trying to hurt the ones I love or care for," he said, using Universal pull again, drawing them to his hands.

Their throats made contact with his palm, and he squeezed slightly, lifting them above his head.

Tsunami, who had just saw Naruto lift the men above him, rushed out and hugged Inari.

"Hey, hey, maybe we should bring her to the boss..." Naruto squeezed them both tighter, and pushed them away forcefully enough to knock them out against the house. 

Naruto walked up to Inari, and realized that Tsunami was crying harder than Into himself. He chuckled, and removed the chakra from his eyes. The rinnegan disappeared. He walked to the side of the house, in order to eqire some rope in order to tie them up.

It was cool, and slightly dark from the shadows of the house, but he found some rope on a barrel. Grabbing it he slowly walked back to them, and tied their feet, and hands together.

Grabbing theirs swords, he tucked them in his belt like the other.

"If they wake up... knock 'em with a frying pan."

Inari looked up and giggled. "Arigato, Naruto-san," Tsunami said, holding Inari, who was trying to wiggle free.

"No problem," he said as he rushed off back into the forest, a shot cut to the bridge.


	28. The battle begins

Minato and the three members of team seven panted, as they had been working hard, lifting large amounts of heavy boards, and pillars for a few hours. He sighed and stared at the sky. It was a bright, pale blue, and almost cloudless. He sighed, taking in a deep refreshing breath. 

He closed his eyes, and the cool wind blew his hair, waving it in his face. A bird cawed, and he opened his eyes slowly. A messenger hawk. Putting his hand to his mouth, he whistled.

The bird swooped down, and Minato extended his arm, and for the bird to clutch onto his arm. Pulling his arm in front of him, Minato pulled the slip of paper out of the small carrier. Minato read it and sighed.

"Minato-sensei?"

Minato looked up and smiled, but his eyes showed slight worry. "The lead is pulling me from this mission, to go to another... Can you handle Zabuza on your own?" 

Kakashi nodded. "He's an A-tank ninja, like me. If anything happens, we still have Naruto, who has the rinnegan, and Sasuke has his sharingan.

Minato frowned, and then chuckled. "I guess that's what I'm worried about..."

Kakashi smirked under his mask, and turned around, walking back to the two members of his genin team. "We will be fine, go ahead, sensei."

Minato flashed off in a yellow blue; heading back to Konoha.

"Kakashi-sensei, when is Naruto getting here?" Sakura asked, frowning.

Kakashi tilted his head and followed Sakura's example of frowning. "I have a feeling he'll show soon," he said, putting a hand on Sakura's shoulder.

The mist slowly clouded the area, over the rippling waters, and the bridge.

Sasuke and Kakashi immediately jumped into a defensive stance, to defend Tazuna. Sakura looked at them and immediately followed their actions, understanding something was wrong.

Two figures approached slowly through the mist. One held a beheading sword, while the other seemed to hold sebon.

"We meet again, Copy Cat Kakashi," Zabuza said, swinging the sword over his shoulder.

Kakashi's eyes narrowed at the second figured, who wore a blue and white kimono, and a blue must Hunter ninja mask. Kakashi instantly recognized him, and his eyes widened. "Sasuke, Sakura, be careful," he said to them, voice stern.

"Hn."

"Hai, sensei," Sakura said, pulling out a kunai.

After minutes of intense waiting, perched in defense, the mist became almost unbearable. One couldn't see a thing, meaning Zabuza was about to make his move.

Sasuke 

Movements in the mist had begun to draw closer and closer. Although he couldn't see much, it occurs to Sasuke that using his Sharingan would be better than not, and attacking blindly.

A hand reached towards him and threw sebon towards him. He dodged with a quick way to the side. The figure approached long black hair and a hunter ninja mask.

"I see... You're also, a weirder of the great doujustu, sharingan."

The boy paused, and Sasuke dashed towards him. "Maybe I do, what is it to you?" 

The boy seemed to blur away from Sasuke, but the sound was still vividly audible in the gloomy mist of doom. 

The boy, still silent, seemed to be thinking of his response. Either that or calculating possible outcomes of the battle, if he went up against Sasuke, whose sharingan was activated.

"I wonder..." the boy started. "Are you able to keep up... With my true speed?"

Sasuke discreetly snickered and drew three shurikens from his pouch. The boy started forming seals, but these seals... The boy was making seals Sasuke had never seen before. They were one-handed. Not only one-handed, but they weren't even half handed seals of the normal justu seals. He furrowed his brows, and the mist in a steady, but rapid pace, thickened even farther.

Sasuke waved his hand in front of his face. It was like a blur. He couldn't see a thing.

The temperature slowly dropped, and the mist lightened enough to see again. Mirrors. Ice mirrors. Not only that, the big was inside of the mirrors, and holding sebon.

"What is this?"

The boy chuckled slightly, responded, but ignored to answer the question. "This is where you will see my true speed..." 

His body was reflecting off all the ice mirrors, however, Sasuke still couldn't see the boy on the ground before him, or behind him. Unless... No, the boy was inside the mirrors. "W-what..." Sasuke paled slightly but kept his composure. "Ice you must surely know is easily melted by fire," he said, a smirk reappearing on his face. 

The boy readied his arm to throw the sebon needles. "You will see that for yourself," the black haired boy responded, voice with no emotion. 

He threw the needles, and then everything was a blur. The sebon was raining down on Sasuke from every direction, no escape. No escape but the cracks between the mirrors. The sebon ripped Sasuke's clothes, and tore Sasuke's flesh, making the lacerations ooze warm, sticky blood slowly. The reflection of tiny amounts of light blinded Sasuke for a few seconds, and he dashed towards the cracks. The boy immediately noticed what he was going to do, and so he aimed all his sebons between the ice mirrors, blocking them off. Sasuke stopped and looked towards the others. All still blocked off. 

Jumping backward, Sasuke formed hand seals snake, ram, monkey, boar, horse, tiger. Taking a deep breath of air, Sasuke blew out, placing a hand near his mouth, two fingers forming a hole around his mouth. Exhaling, a fireball began to form due to Sasuke's chakra. 

The fireball smashed into the ice mirror, and Sasuke rushed forward. Watching the boy frowned, and spoke. "I told you, fire justu of that level doesn't work..." 

Sasuke almost rushed into the mirror but extended his hands, so he wouldn't smash his face. "I admit, you're quite strong," Sasuke spoke, looking in the mirror. Backing up, the raid of sebons began again, creating more flesh wounds, all oozing blood. 

"I don't wish to kill you..." he said, pausing the raid for a split few seconds, and then continued. Sebon were now embedded in Sasuke's arms and legs, but only a few. He rushed forward, trying to catch the long-haired teen, but he was too fast for him. Sasuke panted. 

"Sasuke!"


	29. Haku

Kakashi watched as Sasuke and the black-haired boy separates from the group, becoming engulfed in the mist.

Kakashi ran towards them, but Zabuza jumped in front of him. "You're opponent is me, Ka... Ka... Shi..." Zambia said slowly, taunting Kakashi in a menacing tone.

Standing up straight, Kakashi sighed, frowned, and lifted his headband up, revealing his famous sharingan. Kakashi watched as Zabuza swung his sword at him. Flipping backward, Kakashi then invaded another strike from Zabuza by ducking down. Kakashi didn't have a sword at all, but kunai was enough. 

The sword swung again, and again at Kakashi's head, stomach, or chest. Every step he backed up, he inched closer to the edge of the bridge. Every step he took, was a step closer to falling. Ten steps... Eleven steps... Fifteen steps... Twenty steps... 

In seconds, if he didn't move, he'd fall off... Another swing came straight down as if Zabuza was now trying to cut him in half-vertically. Taking he kunai, he held the sword in its closing proximity. 

The sound of metal on metal, small smarks every so often as the kunai slipped. He grabbed the sharp end of the kunai, it cut into his skin, as he tried to hold the sword at bay. Blood dripped from the laceration and soaked the glove. He panted, and the slight yet annoying pain from the kunai in his hand dug slowly deeper into his skin, deepening the wound, making more blood leak out. 

Zabuza chuckled, and suddenly lifting his sword. Kakashi stumbled forward, as all his weight he was pushing onto the sword, was no longer supported. Zabuza took the chance, and as Kakashi just barely regained his balance, he faced the end of the bridge and cut Kakashi in half. 

"Oh, Kakashi... You're so w-" Zabuza was cut short by a sudden 'poof'. "What! Shadow clone? Darn." (A/N: I'm sorry I don't use swear words! <3 Please don't kill me.)

Kakashi appeared behind Zabuza, kunai to his neck. "It's over, Zabuza," Kakashi said. Zabuza chuckled, but instead of giving up, he swung his sword backward, to where he couldn't even see. 

Jumping over it, he shoved a kunai into Zabuza's arm. Zabuza didn't even flinch, and just seemed to accept the pain, to welcome it. As Kakashi backed away, Zabuza formed a water clone, and then took the kunai out of his arm, blood leaking from the wound. 

They were almost equal in power and strategies. Both had been ANBUm with high rankings, and both were given titles. Demon, and Copy Ninja. "I have to admit, even without the flash, you're quite skilled yourself," Zabuza spoke slowly, tightening his grip on his sword. 

"I could say the same for yourself," Kakashi's eyes scanned the mist, in hopes of seeing one of his students. 

Zabuza had disappeared in the mist. Kakashi figured, that he was coming after him. He drew a kunai and got ready for an attack, but nothing came. His eyes widened, and he frantically searched. "Sakura, protect Tazuna!" 

"Too late, Kakashi!" Zabuza started to swing his sword at Sakura and Tazuna, and Kakashi frantically sprinted forward, towards them. Anything to get closer, to protect them. 

"Sakura!" 

Sakura

Sakura held onto the kunai she was gripping, try to not let go, and hold the sword off. She knew she didn't have long until her muscles gave in, he was too strong for her. Slowly, her muscles gave in, give out on her. The sword was less than an inch from cutting her in half, but it didn't touch her. 

Instead, all she heard was Naruto's voice. "Bansho Ten'in" 

She opened her eyes, that she didn't even notice she'd squoze shut. Naruto was holding Zabuza, however, because he was taller, more muscular, and stronger, he easily got free from Naruto's grasp. He swung, but Naruto extended his hand, and the blade clashed to the ground. 

"You shouldn't try," said Naruto, hate his eyes. Retreating chakra from his eyes, his beautiful orange rinnegan disappeared into his ocean blue eyes. 

"Well, you're a challenge like your father, whiskers, but are you that good?" Zabuza's eyes were glaring towers, staring down at Naruto. 

Naruto said nothing but then turned to Kakashi who was nearby. "Sasuke," Naruto said. 

Kakashi clearly understood what he was wondering. He was asking where Sasuke was. "Fighting a long-haired boy," he said, thinking. "Go help him, I can manage Zabuza."

"Haku's too strong of them," Zabuza said, smirking, as he picked up his beheading sword. 

Sakura watched as Naruto rushed off into the mist. 

Sasuke

Sasuke panted, sebon had cut it clothes, and pierced his skin in multiple places, including his arms, stomach, and legs. There was also a few scratches on his cheeks. 

"Hey brat, you can't beat him on you're own... Why not let me give you..."

Sasuke continued to pant, but his eye's widened. He'd completely forgotten about the demon hidden inside of him. "What do you want in return?" 

The lurking demon paused and started to chuckle. "I've told you... The only real thing I want at the moment is the Kyuubi to be dead."

"Fine," Sasuke said, as the demon poured his chakra into him. Unlike most demon chakra, it was purple. Dark, dark purple, with black streaks in it. 

"You hold great power, Uchiha, Sasuke, but how can you conceal, and use that chakra, is the question..." The boy pondered. He seemed to be staring, but Sasuke couldn't tell with the mask present. 

"Come at me." Sasuke's voice conceived hatred in it, and his eyes were still spinning with the Sharingan. 

The boy sighed, and again, attacked, throwing sebon at Sasuke. "I don't wish to kill you..." 

Sasuke didn't bother to respond, but took out a shuriken and watched. Everything seemed to go in slow motion. He saw the boy actually travel from mirror to mirror. He threw them, but right after, he was gone, and the raid continued. Sasuke's movements were faster, much faster than the boy's, but because he was in the air, it wasn't easy to reach him. When the boy stopped and settled in the mirrors, his kimono had a tear in it, caused by Sasuke's shuriken. 

"Sasuke!"


	30. Demon vs. Demon

"Sasuke!"

Naruto rushed into the dome of ice mirrors, face worried as heck.

"I'm fine, Naruto," Sasuke said. The purple waves of chakra waves violently around Sasuke. Devin showed down in both of them, and Naruto pushed them away with his rinnegan.

They all hit the boy in places that would knock him out.

Talk about accuracy without even trying, thought Haku as his vision and consciousness faded into smokey, misty, darkness.

"It's your time to die, Kyuubi," said a voice from Sasuke's lips.

"Wha- Sasuke what's going on?!" Naruto watched at the chakra dashed towards Naruto, and soon, a hit came. No, it wasn't just chakra, but Sasuke was now apart of the purple flaming chakra.

Blood red chakra rose from Naruto's body, and it slowly started to drag the chakra towards 'Sasuke', pulling Naruto with it.

The voice chuckled and snickered quietly. It was eerie, and it seemed evil. No... Evil didn't even seem to come close... Vile... Monsterous... Unearthly... He couldn't just pick one word.

Read trembled in Naruto, as he was slowly being pulled to the purple flames.

Soon, the pace picked up, and Naruto felt like he was being pulled with his down justu.

Suddenly, A sharp pain exploded all over his body. He coughed up blood, almost choking, and it landed on his chin and chest. He wearily, and slowly looked down, quivering. Sasuke's arm went through his heart. Up close, he could see that Sasuke looked feral, as Naruto often did with Kyuubi was letting him use his chakra. 

Naruto was now just realizing, that since the boy fainted, the ice mirrors had shattered. 

"Sa... Suke..." Naruto continued to cough up blood. "What's... Going on with... you..." 

Sasuke's eyes just narrowed, and the chakra slowly faded. Soon, Sasuke had finished processing what had happened. "No... No, no no, shoot!" Sasuke didn't bother to pull his arm out of Naruto's chest, knowing that if he did, his best friend would probably die. "Darn you demon!" 

A tear rolled down Sasuke's face, and he looked around. "Kakashi-sensei, Sakura!" No one came, and Naruto's eyes started to droop. 

"It's no use, Sasuke... Just tell my father, that I'm sorry... " Naruto's words became slurred and labored. His breathing was slow and jagged, getting slower and slower and shallower every second. He was dying. 

Haku

Haku watched as the strange purple chakra engulfed Sasuke. Then everything went black. 

Of what felt like hours in darkness, a light finally emerged. He was in his old house... In the mist... He was making a snowflake. Calling to his mother, she stared and then shrieked. Grabbing him, she scolded him, telling him to never, ever do that again. 

The next day, his father had murdered his mother and was trying to find him, to kill him too. Haku silently cried. It wasn't his fault... It wasn't his fault that he was born like this. Why did the Mizukage have to be so cruel? To order a death sentence for anyone who had a Kekkai Genkai?

It wasn't fair. His father left and lit the house on fire. Using his justu however, he was able to put it out. 

He sat on a bridge, crying, sobbing. People passed him by, not bothering to find him, nor comfort him. They didn't bother to even look at him as if he were just a piece of litter, a piece of trash. It hurt him, deep inside. He could feel it, but he couldn't do anything about it. The sun began to fall, and snow began to dance slowly in the air, as the wind pushed it to one side to another. 

Suddenly, a man had stopped in front of him and looked down. A ninja. He was wearing cloth bandages around the lower half of his face, and he had a beheading sword strapped to his back. He was one of the seven swordsmen of the mist. "You know, there's a death penalty for people who don't use normal mist justu..."

Haku squeaked but didn't move. "Wherever you're going... May I come with?"

The man frowned. "If you come with me, you will be my tool," he put his hand on his hip. 

Haku stood up, smiled. "A tool is better than trash!" 

The man nodded in agreement. 

They walked all over, and Haku was always patient and would do as Zabuza-san asked. Even though the man considered him a tool, Haku saw him as a father. He took care of him, fed him, and let him be a child. In the forest, there was a young rabbit hopping by. "Zabuza-san... I want a pet..." 

Zabuza looked down, as Haku pointed to the rabbit, who was now chewing on grass and roots. "Very well. Be quick in catching it," he said and sat down. 

Within a minute, the boy had set up a trap. He chased the rabbit towards it, and then, snatched it. The rabbit didn't seem too happy about being a pet, especially as Haku didn't hold it in a good position, but it didn't often try to be free from Haku's grasp, which was weird. 

Haku smiled at the memories, as he watched his younger self-carry a white winter rabbit.


End file.
